THEY'RE HERE!
by ULYFERAL
Summary: Threats from space, love, war, an ally from space, a hidden species on Aristal make for a wild adventure.
1. Chapter 1

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 1: The Feral Clan **

She moaned sweetly in his ear as he took her hard. Their bodies were sweaty from the previous hours of play and still he could not get enough of her. He plunged one more time and froze as his climax roared through him and her scream of completion filled his ears.

And just as suddenly he was awake, covered in his own semen and panting hard. His bedding was tangled all around him and just as sweaty. Checking the clock by his bedside he saw it was going on seven a.m., time to get up. He groaned in disgust as he pulled the sodden mess off him and made for the bathroom.

He sighed moodily as he showered and prepared for work. This was the fifth time he'd had that same erotic dream. He knew it meant he'd found his chosen one but due to circumstances he couldn't control, he hadn't been able to make his move on her.

It didn't help that their positions caused strife between them then throw in those insufferable SWAT Kats and it became nearly impossible to get her to see him in any light but the one she'd painted him into.

As Chief Enforcer, he had to be the heavy for everything that went wrong in the war against the omegas. A strong front was necessary to maintain discipline among his enforcers and keep their fear at bay, that meant coming across as gruff, cold, and unapproachable. Which he really wasn't! But no one knew that but his family.

Sighing again, he hit the dryers until his fur fluffed then quickly went and dressed. It was frustrating to say the least and he was getting really tired of playing the heavy, wanting that she-kat with every fiber of his being and not just her body.

Calico Briggs was smart, brave, as well as beautiful. A perfect mate...damn it!

With no new solution in sight, he went to work...resigned to face another hard day without relief and possibly having the object of his desire spat in his face again.

It was that weekend he chose to travel home to the large Feral estate hidden in the forest outside the north end of the city nestled in the mountain foothills.

Turning off the main highway, he followed a long, well maintained, road as it wound its way for several miles until he reached a rather nice two story building that was fairly rustic looking and managed to blend into it surroundings very well. Spread out from the left and right as well as behind the home were many smaller ranch style houses which gave the area the look of a small town which it was, in a way.

He pulled up the curved drive and parked in front of the main building. No one seemed to be about though he could see cars parked at the various residences showing people were home. Getting out of his vehicle, he looked around, as he did every time he came here, and breathed in the scent of the forest. This was where his heart lay, this was where he could lay his burden down for a time and be himself.

His family had come here more than a century ago and settled in this forest. The main house had been built with love and care then, as the family grew, more homes were built around it.

However, over the past two decades, more of the younger generations began living in the city but despite those desires, they all returned to the forest to visit or retire. Their roots were here and no other place would ever feel like home than this did. Surprisingly, none ever left to live in other countries, though they did visit for business or pleasure. The reason was, they were different from the inhabitants of this world so felt a strong need to stay together. It kept them safe.

The huge, heavy door to the main house popped open at that moment, interrupting his musings, and two young kits charged out yelling his name.

"Ulysses...Ulysses..."

"Ohh, what have we here? And how are you two today?" He asked, smiling warmly, catching them up in his arms and hugging them tightly before putting them back down.

They giggled. The little male said excitedly, "we've been helping Nana bake in the kitchen."

"I can see that, it explains the flour on your face," Feral said in amusement as he tapped the kit on his floured covered nose.

"Come see! We've got cakes, cookies, bread..." the little female chattered on without stopping for a breath.

"Oh my! Well, I'll just have to take a peek won't I." He winked at them as they raced ahead and through the still open door.

The entryway was as rustic as the outside but skilled craftsmanship was clearly on display when one saw the beautifully carved, wide staircase, the intricately carved entry pillars on either side of the door, the hand made bookcases, rough hewn furniture with hand made, thick cushions gracing them, and hand woven, colorful rugs that lay everywhere. There were also many carvings of animals displayed here and there, done in loving detail.

The forest was on display, created by many loving paws making it a warm and inviting place to all who stepped through its doors. The sun brightened the interior from huge skylights placed strategically throughout the home's ceilings. All the smaller homes also boasted such skylights as sunlight was an important factor in the Feral's lives.

The smells of baking tickled his nose as he wended his way through the dining room and on into huge kitchen that could feed a crowd and did. A huge trestle table sat in the center of the flag stoned floor. On one half of it was the results of a morning's worth of baking. The other end was covered in flour and remnants of the kittens attempts to help the elderly female who was just pulling a tray of biscuits from the hearth style oven when he stepped through the arched entryway.

She turned to set it on the table then grinned merrily when she spotted him. She wiped her paws on her already flour covered apron, as she stepped forward to greet him. He met her halfway and received a strong hug. His Nana might be over a hundred years old but she was as strong as any half her age.

"Ah, Ulysses...so good to see you home," she said in her beautiful tenor voice, her emerald eyes twinkling up at him.

"It's always great to come home especially when it smells so wonderful."

"Ah, you know its always baking day on Saturdays. I have no doubt you planned your escape from the city just for that," she snorted, giving her great, great grandkitten an amused, knowing look.

"You know me too well, Nana. Is my father or mother in the area?" He asked more seriously.

She gave him a concerned look. "No, I'm afraid they've gone off again for at least a week or two. You know how they are. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Perhaps...when you can give me a private ear later, I'd appreciate it," he said reluctantly. He loved his Nana but for this he had wanted to speak to his parents first however since he couldn't...her experience might be better after all.

"Of course. We will have a private chat after the evening gathering," She promised with another hug then shooed him off. "Now off with you so I can get back to work," she said warmly, turning back to her work.

Giving his cousins a secret wink, he snitched a cookie then left the room to the sound of their delighted snickers. He wandered through the house and out the back door, heading for a home that was set back in the trees to the right of the main building.

He could see, off in the distance, some of his clan working in the fields that grew the food they ate. Over the still morning air, he heard the lowing of cows and whinny of horses in the barns out of sight beyond the trees. The sights and sounds of a totally self contained and self sufficient society were welcome to his tired city senses.

But just because they shunned the city, didn't mean they didn't embrace modernity. There were all manner of the latest electronics and farm machinery around as well as some odd tech that wasn't from this world.

It was important to the clan to keep an ear out for what was going on around them. They were not insular by any means, that would make them vulnerable, so they sought out information in all its forms. Their youngsters went out into the world and brought back income, information, and new skills that benefited the whole clan. This made them strong, informed, and well able to care for themselves from any outside threat.

Those in power in Megakat City were well aware of this community but not where they'd come from nor who they were before they'd arrived in the area. Megakat City was little more than a large rustic town when the Feral's built their community.

Stories passed down by those encountering the rather closed society told of a community of skilled artisans, farmers, and hunters. But it was the other stories that made the towns people keep their distance...that the Ferals were unusually strong, warrior trained, and possessed some kind of odd powers.

Those that tried to bully, steal, or otherwise encroach on the rich lands the Feral's lived on, found themselves encountering weird things that terrified even the coldest, cruelest of them. This and other stories from family or friends of those who had never been seen again after visiting the Feral community for nefarious reasons, ensured the clan was never bothered much.

Modern times saw a temporary increase in trespassing but that was quickly nipped in the bud, reminding the current residences of the now grand city of Megakat, that the old stories about the Feral's was still alive and well. The current word on the street was, never trespass on Feral lands if you valued your life or sanity. Which seemed to work, as they never saw more than one trespasser a year.

However, the Feral's weren't so clannish that they didn't know the value of maintaining good relations with their closest neighbors or the city. So, it was customary for the clan to share the bounty of their land as well as earn an income from doing so. They did this by selling their homemade crafts, fresh fruits/vegetables and eggs at fairs and farmer's markets. They shared with their close neighbors the water that ran from a waterfall on their lands. Their youngsters were bright and talented which made them highly sought after in the job market and as mates.

The community made sure to pay taxes, vote, contribute to worthy causes, and fund raisers held by the Mayor and high society. Their elders attended council meetings to ensure none of their rights were ever violated and to maintain good ties with the city council members. In short, doing everything they could to be seen as a friendly neighbor that only desired their community in the mountains be left alone to live their lives in peace.

Though he found them rather odd and intimidating at times, Mayor Manx was perfectly willing to respect their wishes. They caused no harm (except for those that encroached on their lands) and paid their taxes on time and that was all he cared about. The mystique that surrounded the clan was a bit off putting but he was smart enough not to complain and was very careful in his dealings with his Chief Enforcer so as not to incur the wrath of the big tom's clan. Though that didn't really relieve the constant stress Feral was under working for the pompous and cowardly windbag.

Feral's musings ended as he reached the home and knocked once before entering. He looked around the warm and homey living space filled with sunshine but didn't see who he was looking for at first, then a figure walked in from a hallway.

"Ulysses! When did you get in?" The big, husky male asked warmly, coming forward to give the younger male a hug.

"Just a few minutes ago, Uncle. Could I speak with you a moment?"

"Certainly, nephew. Have a seat."

They both sat down on the comfortable couch. His Uncle Feders was his father's brother and an elder in the clan hierarchy. He was as powerfully built, as were most of the males of the clan, with dark fur which was their hallmark and gold eyes.

"There have been rumors Dark Kat has set up a hideaway in the mountain range just east of the clan holdings. Have you seen or heard anything recently?" Ulysses asked, getting down to business.

His uncle frowned. "This is the first I've heard of it, Uly. I don't have to tell you how upset that will make the rest of the elders to know we have an intruder this close and no one sensed it."

Ulysses scowled unhappily. "It seems he was very careful not to come under your notice. I'm certain he's heard of our reputation and that is exactly why he dared to plant himself so close. He thought it would keep anyone else from finding him," he growled in disgust as he realized that was exactly what the omega had done.

"I trust your insight on this, nephew, as you have more experience dealing with this criminal. Are you going to try and dig him out or do you wish the clan to deal with him?" His uncle asked, his eyes going hooded as he contemplated the thought of a hunt.

His eyes going dark and cold, Uly responded, "this criminal has used up all the breaks he's been given and deserves no more consideration. Frankly, I'm tired of him escaping justice as frequently as he does." He paused and gave his uncle a significant look. "I'd say, since he's been 'accommodating' enough to stray near our sacred ground, it is the clan's right to deal with him. And we have males still waiting their rite of passage, seems a perfect job for them, don't you think?"

His uncle gave him a grim smile. "I dare say you're right about that. I'll bring it up during the council gathering and set something up."

"Thank you. That will be a weight off my mind. I wish I could partake too, I could use the break. However, I can't be seen anywhere near there when he's...uh...dealt with."

"I completely understand. Think nothing of it. Now, how about bringing me up to date with the status of the city and the other criminal problems," his uncle asked, relaxing now that the serious business had been dealt with.

Feral sighed, nodded...relaxing his body, glad that nasty problem would be solved soon...he loved coming home.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, here you go Cody. Slash Jake and Chance and for the others Feral and Callie. A little something for my fans.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 2: Dark Kat's Last Mistake **

That evening, the clan council met. His Nana, Bridget Feral was one of the four ruling council elders. Two were female and two were male, this was tradition and insured both sexes were fairly represented.

The session was called to order and all that could were in attendance. Of the some one thousand Ferals alive, normally only five hundred were in the area at any one time. At today's meeting, over two hundred had managed to attend.

To accommodate so many, the clan had built an underground meeting chamber below the main house that had been completely carved from the natural rock cave found beneath their home.

It was the size of a football field and had natural stone seating that formed an amphitheater around a center area of carefully laid marble flooring in a grayish hue. A large wooden platform sat in the center and on this was a hand made circular oak table with four well made padded chairs at its center.

The amphitheater had been constructed in such a way that sound carried very easily so the council elders did not have to resort to shouting to be heard.

This grand meeting hall also served as an emergency shelter should it become necessary for them to escape some kind of serious danger. Access to this huge chamber was by four special elevators hidden behind walls on the main floor of the house and one broad staircase, in case the power went out.

In other, smaller, chambers food, medical, and other necessary items were stored and inventoried regularly. It had been made one of the rites of passage for their young to be responsible for keeping the emergency supplies current and filled.

In another, large cave formation, a special hangar had been built that held their most important aerial vehicles. These were what had brought them here. They were carefully maintained by those whose families had been pilots and mechanics. The skills had been carefully handed down through those families to ensure the knowledge would not be forgotten in case the vehicles were needed in some unforeseeable future. An exit ramp had been created with a secret door that slid back to allow the vehicles to ascend into the sky. The massive sliding door had been painted to resemble the forest floor that lay around it, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

Ulysses took a seat next to his closest family relations and waited for the meeting to start. Without any real fanfare or formal language, his Nana opened the meeting with the regular mundane business that needed addressing.

Once that had been taken care of she opened the meeting to the attendees so they could brief the clan on what was going on in the city and elsewhere that might have consequences for the clan in general or in particular.

Raising paws then being called on, each member with something to say, stood and addressed the group. One brought up a concern about a drought expected and how they would handle allowing their neighbors access to the clans abundant water supply so the Kats wouldn't suffer but kept their lands safe from outsiders. An elder remembered this happening before and told them how to deal with the problem.

Next, another member brought to their attention that some marauding creature or creatures were taking their calves, ducks and chickens. They had already determined it wasn't Kats or the usual predators. Whatever these things were, they never left a trace of themselves behind and no one had been able to catch sight of them.

Ulysses jerked in surprise as a suspicion of what these might be occurred to him. His uncle gave him a questioning eye. Frowning in concern, Uly raised his paw. Though he'd been prepared to allow his uncle to address the issue of Dark Kat so he wouldn't be directly involved, he couldn't let this new piece of information go by.

He was acknowledged almost immediately. "I'm afraid I know what might be snatching our livestock. I came here bearing news about Dark Kat. He's rumored to be holed up just outside our eastern border, using us as a cover to prevent being discovered. However, I think he's made his first mistake. His creeplings are carnivorous and, if he hasn't been feeding them well or instructed them to keep away from local livestock, I suspect it is they who are doing the stealing. Since they are flying creatures, it makes sense they would leave no sign of their depredations."

Consternation and exclamations of anger filled the chamber until Elder Franlin ordered silence.

"This omega is near us? Have you been able to verify that Ulysses?" He asked sternly.

"No sir! But my intelligence has put him there with an eighty-five percent accuracy. I'd come here to see if it were true."

The elders put their heads together to discuss this among themselves. Feders, as an elder felt he should now bring up what he and Uly had discussed earlier.

"Forgive me, I need to interrupt you before you come to a decision. Ulysses brought this to my attention earlier today and I was to present it to you for resolution. As you know, he cannot be caught advocating the permanent end to a criminal...that would break the laws he's bound to uphold. He suggested and I agree, that if Dark Kat is found to be holed up near our eastern borders, a hunt should be mandated, allowing our tweens waiting to complete their rite of passage to adulthood to take on this task."

The elders stared at him a moment then pressed close together to discuss it. After some fifteen minutes, they faced outward once more and it was Elder Jarlkin who spoke for all.

"Your suggestion has merit and it is the decision of this council that the fifteen tweens awaiting their rite of passage will embark on this mission to ferret out the criminal known as Dark Kat and, if he is indeed hiding in our eastern border mountains, will summarily dispatch this criminal and his minions then hand over the body to Ulysses for proof of death in accordance with Megakat law. So say we all!"

There was an immediate roar of approval and that effectively ended that problem. The council addressed other concerns before finally breaking up a couple of hours later.

Ulysses sighed, tuning out the rest of the meeting. He was relieved and happy that Dark Kat had made such a stupid mistake. Now at last this evil blot that had plagued the area for years would finally be put to death. He was nearly certain the hunters would find Dark Kat holed up planning his next attack on Megakat. He would only have to wait until tomorrow sometime before he would be returning to the city with the body in the rear of his hummer.

After the council meeting broke up, as promised, his Nana took him aside so they could talk privately. In her parlor of the main house where she lived, the two of them enjoyed cups of hot tea and fresh baked goodies. "So grandson, what troubles you?" She asked briskly.

"I've found the female I want in my life but there are some serious complications," he said unhappily.

"That's wonderful news, Ulysses! So what could be so difficult to prevent your union?"

"She's the deputy mayor..."

"Say no more," she halted him in mid sentence. Nana shook her head and stared at her favorite grandson with some concern. "You're certain of this connection?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ah Ulysses. Because of your decision to set forth a persona that's so untouchable and harsh, you've sabotaged your chances with this she-kat."

"I know. So how do I get her to see the true me when I can't get close enough to her without immediately getting the cold shoulder?"

"This is a very delicate situation as I know you're aware. Without giving away what you are, I honestly don't know how you can get past the dislike she has of you. But..." she paused to think a moment.

"Perhaps, if you are more solicitous of her problems and try to make her burdens easier, you might get her to see the real you through the facade of gruffness," she suggested.

He shook his head. "That might work if I wasn't competing against those pains in the tail, SWAT Kats."

His Nana snorted in amusement at her grandson's denseness. He was bright and more intelligent than most gave him credit for but sometimes like now, he couldn't see the forest for the trees.

"Ulysses, those two are no threat to your desire for her. They may all flirt when together but trust me, it is harmless and means nothing."

He blinked at her in confusion. "How the heck would you know that for certain? You've not encountered them in person."

She rolled her eyes. "One only has to watch them on screen enough to see the reality of the situation. Also you have to remember what it is like to be a combat team member that must live together, trust each other explicitly as their lives depend on it, have no outside relationships because of the secret they must maintain if they are to continue as they are and, most importantly, how much they care about each other. The SWAT Kats fit that description to a "T". Now do you remember what that combination usually means?"

Ulysses frowned in concentration. His Nana was trying to get him to think this through. Obviously, she was trying to tell him he'd seen something like this before and...wait...oh no...she couldn't mean?"

"They are lovers?" He blurted in shock.

She just smiled at him.

"Aw hell. Yeah, I've seen that behavior before and I could kick myself for not realizing these two certainly fit that before and after. I just didn't fit the clues together. Just like many others, I just took them to be extremely good friends," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Okay, so they aren't interested in Callie that way but it doesn't help me since she thinks so highly of them and won't look at me with anything but annoyance, disgust or anger...take your pick."

"Yes, however, the reasons for that is your encounters are always after a serious omega clash. Even you would agree that isn't a good time to try and ingratiate yourself with her unless, of course, you manage to save her life before the vigilantes do." Snorting at the likelihood of that as she shook her head.

"Unfortunately, they seemed to be really good at being on the spot when she needs them. So no, the time for you to try and be on her good side is when she needs help as deputy mayor. I know as everyone in high society knows, she is the true power in Megakat City. That is a heavy burden to bear all alone."

Ulysses stared at her silently, trying to absorb all she was trying to impart to him. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Okay, I think I see where you going. I'll see what I can do. Thank you, Nana. That helps a lot."

"You're welcome, grandson. Now off to bed. We have a hunting party to send out very early!"

"Yes ma'am. Good night!" He said warmly, giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking his leave from her. He would be staying at his parents home for the night.

Bridget Feral sighed as she watched her grandson vanish through the door. She drank her tea and thought about the many excellent matches her people had made with the Kats. It had been very fortuitous that Kats and her species were compatible enough to mate and so prevented inbreeding that could have ended their race after all they had done to save it by coming here. Those who were married into the clan were sworn to secrecy but betrayal was never a problem. The promise was for formality only as the bondings between her species and the Kats was an intense and lasting one.

A certain feeling...a connection they called it...drew two together to make them one. Their physicians and scientists suspected this connection was biological in nature. Why and how this connection existed, didn't matter much to her, what was important was this connection insured the continuation of their race (though mixed now) and their safety.

She prayed Ulysses would be able to get Calico Briggs to see this connection. She'd make a fine addition to the clan and would breed incredible kittens, Bridget was certain. Smiling to herself, she took her cup to the kitchen and sought her bed.

At dawn the next morning, Ulysses watched as a large group of tweens (those between the age of 30-40) prepared to leave to hunt for Dark Kat. They would use small hover crafts to get to the area they needed to search then sneak in. They wore only black pants and nothing else...no weapons or shoes...just their natural weapons and warrior skills would be used to defeat the hidden enemy.

He wished he could go along but that would compromise his position and, of course, this **was** a rite of passage after all. To win the right to be an adult they must succeed without help. So, all he could do was brief them on the omega's behavior (like using bombs and having escape routes all planned out) and what the creeplings were like as well as how trained and a guess at how many ninjas Dark Kat employed. Now, as he watched them move out, he hoped they would be successful and return to them safe and sound.

By dusk that evening, the warriors had returned. Ten had survived their rite of passage and presented Ulysses with the burnt and battered body of Dark Kat. He thanked them and accepted the body with great ceremony.

Unfortunately, five did not survive the encounter. Their bodies were carried reverently to a special place where they would be prepared for burial and honored for their sacrifice.

The survivors stood before the gathered clan in the meeting chamber as the elders proclaimed their ascension to adulthood with all the rights granted therein.

A roar of approval filled the chamber then the ten new adults were carried off to celebrate this momentous occasion. Ulysses smiled, letting the crowd pass him before returning outside to place the wrapped body of the dead omega in the back of his hummer for the return trip to the city.

Before he left, he said farewell to his uncle and Nana then paused at the burial place to give thanks and to wish the departed a safe journey to the afterlife. He briefly apologized for not being able to stay and attend the formal ceremony tomorrow night then left for home feeling happy and pleased that a dangerous omega had been taken out so easily, now all they had to do is get rid of Viper next.


	3. Chapter 3

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 3: Feral Clan - 1, Dark Kat - 0 **

He drove back to the city in an expansive mood. The drive was soothing and the body in the rear of his vehicle didn't disturb him at all as he made good time reaching the city limits then heading for the morgue.

Pulling into the drive up normally used by the morgue vans, he noted two of the vans were out, normal for a weekend. Climbing out of his car, he walked to the security doors and buzzed the entry request button. The on duty officer stared at his screen in surprise and concern. Having the Chief Enforcer at the door of the morgue was never good news. He hurried to the doors.

Passing his card through the security slot allowed the doors to be opened. Hearing the distinctive click, Feral pushed the right hand door open and nodded at the officer.

"Sir?"

"I have a body to deliver. Wanna get a morgue attendant for me?" Feral said easily.

Blinking in surprise, the officer shook himself and nodded, hurrying off to an inner area. Moments later, a night shift morgue attendant came out with a gurney. He eyed Feral with the same look of consternation as the guard had.

"We didn't get word of you bringing in a body, Commander..." the gray furred attendant began.

Feral held up a paw. "It's alright. This body is special and I'll handle the paperwork. Who's on duty tonight?" He asked as he turned and headed back out, hitting the automatic door opener button as he passed.

"Dr. Wesport, sir."

"Good." Feral opened the back of his hummer and easily lifted the wrapped body out and onto the gurney, much to the amazement of the two waiting. The identity of the body could not be seen.

Still confused, the attendant rolled the gurney back inside with the Commander following closely beside him. The guard went back to this post though he was eaten up with curiosity on just who the Chief Enforcer had brought in as well as why he had done the body transfer himself.

The attendant pushed the gurney against the swinging doors that led into the morgue's examination area and headed for an empty spot next to four more body covered gurney's.

Over one of the bodies, an older black and white patched furred tom was cutting open the chest, halting when he saw the two come in. He frowned and set the scalpel down to come over to see what had brought the Chief Enforcer in.

"Dr. Wesport, I have a special job for you and would like it taken care of immediately while I'm here. An autopsy isn't necessary, just a certification of death," Feral told the doctor as he reached for the wrappings and undid them.

"Wha...Dark Kat?" The doctor blurted in shock.

There laying on the gurney was the most feared omega in the world and very much dead. With all those wounds and burns, there was no way the tom could be alive but since this creature had successfully managed to escape death too many times, Dr. Wesport had to make sure.

Despite his trepidation, he wrapped his professionalism around him and barked an order to his assistant who had come over to see what was going on.

"Tray!"

The assistant snapped to attention and hurriedly got a fresh examination tray for the doctor. Dr. Wesport peeled off his gloves and put on a new pair then pulled a light over his work area and frowned as he focused on the body. He reached down with his fingers and checked for a pulse in the neck...there was none. He took the clipboard from his assistant and wrote up all the things he could see before stripping the clothes off. His assistant took pictures.

Meanwhile, Feral had gone out of the room and availed himself of the coffee that was perpetually brewing at a small beverage area tucked away in a break room off the outside corridor. Once fortified, he went back into the room where he noted the doctor was now in the process of stripping the corpse of its clothes and was making a quick examination.

Stripped of his clothes, Dark Kat looked very strange for a Kat. Rumors that he was a mutation of some kind seemed to be borne out at least of his physical appearance. An autopsy would have to be done to see if he was different internally. His face was misshapen, furless, and elongated with a long jaw that held many long fangs. He was broader through the chest than Feral and at least three inches taller.

Feral eyed the body with only professional interest. The hunters had beaten, clawed, and shocked the omega many times. It perhaps had been a bit overkill but the hunters had been overtaken by their instinct to protect their clan as well as revenge for the deaths of the five lost during the fight. Dark Kat hadn't stood a chance. He wondered idly if the omega knew who had taken him out...probably not...but the city soon would.

He listened as Dr. Wesport described the injuries for his recorder, pronounced the victim dead positively then halted his recording to look over at Feral questioningly.

"So if you don't want an autopsy done, sir, what would be the cause of death because honestly not one of these injuries would have killed him?" the doctor asked, a bit confused.

"Dark Kat made the mistake of trespassing on Feral Clan lands. He was dealt with by our hunters in accordance with our laws. Manner of death was a jolt to the heart that stopped it," Feral intoned solemnly.

Dr. Wesport as well as his assistant shuddered and quickly looked away from the huge tom. In all his years as a forensic pathologist he had only encountered two other mysterious deaths caused by members of the Feral Clan. None of his examinations could discover the reason for the deaths but each time he'd been told it was a shock to the heart...but there was nothing he could find that could have caused such a shock however, no further explanation was ever offered.

It left him with many unanswered questions and a burning curiosity about what the hell were these people. Rumors said they weren't Kats at all but the doctor thought that ridiculous. His pet theory was they might be a variation of Kat that happened once in a while. These variations were usually confined to small groups of Kats in remote areas. It was possible the Feral Clan came from one of these small groups but no one had been able to find out for sure since the clan never allowed their people to be treated by Kat kind and no dead were ever left for the coroners office to examine. It was maddening.

Shaking his head, he dutifully finished the report, time stamped it, signed his name then had Feral sign as witness and the one who provided the information then made a copy, giving one to Feral. Pictures had been taken and one was attached as proof to the documents Feral now held.

"Sir?"

Feral had been in the act of leaving but paused to eye the doctor questioningly.

"Since, he is now processed and ready for disposal, would it be possible for us to do an autopsy anyway for the purpose of determining if he was a mutant or a variation of some kind of Kat species yet unknown? It would be a boon to anthropologists to have this answered."

Feral thought about it for a moment then nodded. "I don't see why not. It would be interesting to see if he's an anomaly or not so go ahead."

"Thank you, sir."

Feral just nodded again then, wishing them a good night, he left them to their work, strolling out of the facility in a happy mood, while back in the morgue excitement ran high as Dark Kat's body was prepared for autopsy. While they worked, the doctor and his assistant discussed the strangeness of the Feral Clan and the possibilities of where they might have come from.

The next morning, Feral sent copies of Dark Kat's death to the press and the Mayor's office. The repercussions of that simple report set the city on fire and was the main topic of conversation everywhere.

In a garage located on the grounds of the Megakat Salvage Yard, two mechanics were working hard when one of them heard the news broadcast and shouted at the other to listen.

"Chance! Listen to this!"

"_...for those that hadn't heard the report, the top news story today was the death of Dark Kat...yes, you heard right. The scariest and deadliest omega is finally dead. Commander Feral brought the body in last night and the death was verified by the coroner's office. The worst omega of our century is dead because he foolishly enough decided to hide out in the mountains belonging to Feral Clan. They dealt him their form of justice and killed him in accordance with their laws and now our city is free of his threat at last..."_

"Holy shit! Dark Kat is dead?" Chance blurted, shocked and amazed.

"And the Feral Clan was responsible!" Jake added, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Do you mean we could have been free of that crud long ago if he'd only traipsed stupidly out to that conclave a long time ago?" Chance said in disbelief.

"Seems like it. All those stories about the Feral Clan are obviously true," the smaller tom said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess, but Feral doesn't seem like them. I mean, if whatever makes that clan so dangerous is in him then why was it so difficult for him to take the creep out himself?" Chance asked, confused.

"Wish I knew. Maybe because Dark Kat was only threatening the city but not the clan so whatever rules they live by doesn't allow them to interfere or take action when it's our problem," Jake suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"So every time Feral encountered Dark Crud, he was forced to hold back. That must have really pissed him off letting that evil shit trash the city all the time when he knew he could take him out anytime if he'd been allowed," Chance said shocked and angry, surprised to find himself actually sympathetic with the Commander's frustration.

Jake grimaced, "yeah, no wonder he was always so hot about losing to that creep all the time. It didn't help that he transferred that frustration onto his enforcers and us all the time.

"Huh! You got that right! Despite the fact we did capture the crud every time only to have Dark Kat escape before he ever went to jail or trial."

"Well he's gone at last. All that's left is Viper and unfortunately, he favors the swamp for his hideaway so I guess we'll have to continue to play tag with him," Jake sighed. "Anyway, let's get back to work. The cars aren't going to get done by themselves."

Chance just snorted in agreement and returned to the truck he'd been working on.

All over the city celebrations were taking place. Though there was still two more serious omegas left, the Katizens felt justified in celebrating the death of at least one of the serious dangers to their home.

Meanwhile, in the southern most corner outside the city limits, the swamp covered a very large area of real estate and at its center a hidden enemy lurked and planned for revenge. Listening to the news, Dr. Viper hissed angrily to himself.

"That fool Dark Kat! Thinking he wassss sssso ssssmart hiding near thossse creaturessss. But I'm no fool. They won't come after you unlesssss you threaten them. And I have no intention of giving them a chance at me. SSSSo let thossse foolsss in the city celebrate! When they think they are ssssafe, I'll ssstrike and win!"

Chuckling evilly to himself, Viper went back to his current experiments.


	4. Chapter 4

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 4: A New Trouble Bigger than the Omegas **

After the city seemed to calm down from their euphoria of having one less omega, things pretty much got back to normal some weeks later. Feral sighed as he dug his way out from under a pile of officer performance reports that had to be done and since things had been quiet for a while, he no longer had no excuse for not getting them done.

With meetings breaking up his time, it took all day for him to get at least half of the reports done. Before he called it day, he decided to quickly skim the daily report blotter.

The blotter tracked the days reports on crimes committed around the city, emergency events, accidents, and other miscellaneous things that occurred plus those that just fit the weird category, which happened in this city far too often.

As he quickly scanned through the some six pages of the blotter, he halted suddenly at an entry that caused a chill of apprehension down his spine. The report stated someone living on the far side of the bay in a forested area, had seen something fall from the sky and crash into the trees some miles away.

The Katizen that reported it said they had not dared to go investigate because whatever it was had made a horrific amount of noise and made the ground shudder before everything went quiet again. There was no sign of fire or smoke or anything else to suggest it might have been a plane crash.

An enforcer jet was dispatched to check the area but after a fruitless hour of searching with no luck, the pilot sent for a chopper who spoke with the witness and tried to find the area by flying closer to the tree tops but, again, they were unsuccessful in spotting anything.

Not being able to close the case, the file was sent up the chain for resolution by higher authority...none of the interim officers could solve it so it was supposed to have reached his desk and should have gotten there by now.

Frowning, Feral quickly searched through the day files he hadn't looked through opting to finish the performance reviews first. He found the file on the case halfway down the pile.

Hurriedly, he scanned the rather meager report, learned where the complaint had originated and quickly cleared his desk of sensitive documents, tidied the rest on his desk then got up.

He went to the coat rack and yanked his coat off it, pulling it on as he made for the door to his office. Stepping through, he paused at the secretary's desk.

"I'm leaving and won't be back. See you tomorrow," he said briskly, barely pausing as he continued past.

"Of course, sir. Have a good evening," his secretary called out to him.

Feral was nearly all the way down the hall by the time he'd heard her response. Reaching the elevator, he pushed for a down car which arrived seconds later. He quickly hopped aboard and punched the button for the lobby. He tapped his foot on the floor impatiently then dashed out the barely opening door once he reached the ground floor.

He didn't acknowledge anyone as he steamed ahead toward the door and down the stairs toward his hummer. Climbing aboard, he cinched his seatbelt, engaged his siren and tore away from headquarters as fast as he dared.

Using the siren helped clear traffic from before him as he raced across the city making for the Megakat Bay Bridge highway. Once on the bridge, he shut off his siren but maintained his speed. Traffic was lighter here as quitting time had not hit as yet so he made good time.

Turning off onto the bay parkway, he followed it for more than twenty miles until he finally reached the area where the wit lived then he passed their location to continue on to where they had reported the crash of something. After another forty minutes, he finally turned off onto a little used forest road that was little more than a dirt track. Following it for several more miles, he finally ran out of any kind of passable road and was forced stop.

Shutting off the engine, he climbed out then paused to remove his radio, coat, tie, and boots, placing them on the passenger seat. As a precaution, he pulled the wire for his vehicle's enforcer radio so he couldn't be tracked then locked his car.

Armed with only his gun and his own natural weapons, he began to trek into the woods. He headed in the direction given by the wit and after more than a couple miles of walking, his nose finally detected a whiff of something that wasn't natural to the forest.

The scent veered south so he began to run. His feet flew over the heavily forested floor as if he was running on pavement, literally flying along at a speed no normal Kat could match. Barely breathing hard, Feral finally reached the site of the fallen object.

It had broken many trees in its fall but the trees themselves managed to fall in such a way to hide the path the object had taken then its violent landing brought a cascade of branches and brush to cover it up so well that none could see it from the air at all which explained why none of his pilots could find it.

Eyes narrowed, Feral moved slowly and silently up to the nearly buried object. When he could see it more clearly, he nearly hissed aloud, but controlled himself and froze in place while he listened hard for any sound and watched for the smallest movement from the nearly destroyed ship.

The only sounds he heard were birds in the trees and small animals crawling in the nearby ground cover. His eyes could detect nothing moving so he finally began to move closer a few careful steps at a time and using all the cover he could find the whole way so he wouldn't be a target.

Far too quickly, he was soon standing over a ship he knew only from pictures that had been drilled into him as a youngling. He bared his fangs in a grimace of anger and fear as he searched the wreckage thoroughly. The body of the pilot was mangled thoroughly and very much dead.

After he'd combed through the ship for any scrap of information, he walked away until he was about twenty feet away then turned around. He looked up at the sun and found it already moving toward evening.

Raising his arms, he drew in what he could of the dying sun's rays then lowered his arms and pointed his paws toward the wreckage and fired a blinding white light of energy which incinerated all traces of the visitor until there was nothing but charred trees and underbrush left to show anything had fallen there at all. The forest would very quickly make even that disappear within a few weeks.

Satisfied, Feral ran a swift ground-eating pace back to his vehicle. He needed to go home as fast as he could because trouble was on its way to them and they needed to prepare for it's arrival.


	5. Chapter 5

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 5: Warning the Clan **

Leaving the bay area, Feral raced toward his mountain home arriving an hour and a half later at the clan holdings. He parked in front of the main house and quickly cut the engine. Climbing out, he hurriedly made for the front door. He knew his unexpected arrival and haste would have been spotted by the eagle eyed watchers of the clan. No one could approach their home without one of the many eyes out there spotting them from various hidden locations around their perimeter but they also utilized modern surveillance methods from a well equipped security room located underground.

So when Feral opened the door and stepped in, he was greeted by two well armed warriors that eyed him questioningly.

He nodded at them, his face grim. "We have a priority one situation! Summon everyone for an emergency meeting!"

The guards eyes widened in surprise and concern then nodded their understanding, faces just as grim as his own. They melted away silently and swiftly to notify all members to report to the meeting chamber. Sighing, Feral headed for the chamber himself but instead of taking a seat, he made for the platform where the elders sat and stood waiting for the clan to appear.

It took less than fifteen minutes before worried clan members began to pour in, a soft rumble of conversation filled the room as they all hurried in but when they noted Ulysses standing on the platform waiting, the soft mutter turned to a firestorm of speculative utterances as they took their seats and talked excitedly to their neighbors. The elders arrived one at a time, eyeing the dark tom with deep concern as they took their seat. His nana was the one to open the session, the room falling silent the moment she spoke.

"Ulysses! You have called an emergency session of the clan. Explain why!" She commanded.

"Elders, clan members! I have just come from a crash site hidden in the Bay View forest area. A witness reported seeing something big crash in the trees some miles from their home. My enforcers were notified and attempted to find the crash site but were unable to locate it after many hours of searching both ground and air. The report reached me some twelve hours later. When I learned of it a few hours ago, I hurried out to the area and, by scent, finally found the crash site. It had been difficult to find because it hadn't caught fire so no smoke, it had succeeded in bringing trees down in such a way as to hide it and the damage it caused and the area it came down in was heavily overgrown with vegetation. This was a boon to us as it turned out." Here Feral halted a moment, allowing his audience to absorb that before dropping the bomb. "Because, what I found was a Skulkear scout ship..."

The room erupted with cries of anger and fear preventing Feral from continuing. He stood grimly waiting for the initial reaction to ease off and everyone to rein in their fear. However, the elders were impatient.

"Silence!" Elder Franlin roared. The room fell quiet instantly. Franlin nodded at Feral to continue, his face and those of the other elders were tight with tension, eyes glowing with barely restrained upset at the news.

Feral nodded, doing as ordered. "There was no doubt in my mind of the ship's origin. I searched it thoroughly and found nothing to indicate why it was here nor sign of whether the pilot had contacted its home base. Unfortunately, the pilot had been killed in the crash so I couldn't get answers from that quarter. After my search, I destroyed the scene completely...it won't be found." He stopped speaking and turned to the elders, waiting.

Looks of severe consternation were being traded among the elders. Bridget asked the next question.

"What conclusions have you drawn from this event, Ulysses?"

Grimacing unhappily, Feral said, "since there is no doubt this was a scout ship, it stands to reason there is a mother ship somewhere in our universe. We knew they would never stop searching for our kind and we also knew it was only a matter of time before they finally found us. What is in question is whether they know we are here on this planet. As I said, there was no way to determine if the pilot had actually found us or had just arrived in our solar system and was beginning its search." He paused and stared around the room, his manner tense and angry.

"What is more worrying is why did the Skulkear crash. They are fearsome and deadly warriors with powerful and well armed ships. So how did this one manage to be so damaged it crash landed here, killing the pilot? Searching the wreakage, I couldn't distinguish between crash damage and those of an attack...it was too badly mangled." He paused again to take a deep breath before plunging on.

"So, in conclusion, we have two problems. First, we have no idea if the scout ship found us and reported it but it doesn't matter since the mother ship will be sending someone to find out why that scout was silenced and, secondly, we may have another enemy out there who dropped into our war either by accident or deliberately. I urge we investigate this immediately or we'll find ourselves caught between two factions, lessening our odds of winning."

Once he stopped speaking, his nana immediately spoke up before the audience could react to this devastating news.

"This is very grim news you've brought to us, Ulysses. Thank you for getting this information to us so quickly and destroying the evidence. How do you propose to find out who took the scout out?" She asked.

"I have two possible culprits I need to rule out quickly. One is the SWAT Kats, the other Dark Kat. If it wasn't them, then I'll have to take a ship into space to find out if there's someone lurking around."

"I agree with your plan except for the last," Elder Jarlkin spoke up slowly. "If our enemy is lurking close by, the sight of one our ships will confirm to them we are here."

Feral's took on a chagrined looked. "Forgive me, elder. I should have thought of that but there is another solution. If the SWAT Kats weren't involved, they have the capability to enter space. I could hitch a ride that way."

Elder Jarlkin nodded and smiled. "Excellent solution. However, I actually hope it was one of your three suspects rather than an unknown."

"As do I, sir."

"With this much trouble suddenly dropped into our laps, I'm sure everyone here wants to know what our defenses are like at this moment," Bridget urgently interjected

"Yes, ma'am, I understand," Feral responded, much happier to deal with something he had control of at the moment. "As you know, I have been beefing up the enforcers secretly for the past five years, using the funds the clan carefully funneled into my budget. The extra equipment, tanks, and jets have been hidden in an old abandoned military airfield until needed. I know this shorted my enforcer squadrons but it couldn't be helped. We have enough on paw for me to arm my enforcers better when the time is right. We are also lucky that this has been an up cycle for recruitment since I've lost a high number of troops the past year. I hope I have time to get them trained sufficiently for what is to come."

"What about your secret weapon? Are they ready as well?" Elder Jarlkin asked quickly.

"Yes sir. They've had four years now to hone their skills and Razor has become extremely inventive in his weapon's development. They are now hardened warriors in body but not in mind as they are not able to kill easily."

"Perhaps that's a good thing. I do not wish such a noble pair of Kats to become so cold and callous that they could kill with ease. We only need them as a secondary line of defense anyway as it will be our people who will be the main force against the Skulkears, that is, unless there is a secondary enemy then we'll need their them to do what is necessary," his nana said quietly. "Under those circumstances, do you think they'll be able to kill?"

Feral sighed and rubbed his neck as he thought a moment. "Honestly, ma'am, I'm not truly certain but I hope so. They are fierce protectors so I have to believe they will do what is necessary to protect their world without flinching."

"Only such a battle will tell us for certain. Very well, then all we can do now is ensure we are completely prepared for whatever is out there," she murmured resignedly.

"Then all that's left is to ready our warriors and ships..." Elder Breeann spoke up for the first time, a questioning note in her voice.

Feral's uncle Feders stood and answered her, he was one of four commanders in charge of maintaining their militia and ships. "Our ships are ready as always and we are fully armed and manned for battle. All that's needed now is to charge up!"

"Well, that's comforting to know. Then make your preparations and recall all our fighters. Also recall all noncombatants to the safety of the community. We will have another meeting in three days...provide us with updates on all actions taken and our readiness at that time!" Elder Franlin ordered. "Ulysses, we want an immediate answer from you on who's responsible for the scout ship's demise." Feral nodded gravely. Franlin next addressed the waiting community, "Are there any inputs we need to hear before we call this meeting over?"

A quiet seeming and tall, graying tom stood.

"Yes, Taran?"

"We do need to increase our medical supplies for the coming battle, sir. We especially need those new recharge units we were told would be available by now. They will certainly be required now with the coming conflict," the community's head physician told them.

Bridget frowned and turned to Jarlkin. "I thought those had been completed and delivered...am I wrong?"

"I'm sorry Bridget, but there was a major mistake in their construction which was, fortunately, found by our insider at the factory. As the major buyer for those machines, we quickly notified the factory manager of the problem and that we would not accept the order until corrections were made. That was over three months ago. Since they had to order the special parts they were supposed to have installed in the first place, they needed more time. The last word I received on completion was the end of next month." Jarlkin reported, a sour, disgusted look on his face.

Frowning, the other three elders discussed the issue and came to a decision. "We need those machines now. Tell them so, please Jarlkin. Insure our insider stays with them so no more mistakes are made and that delivery will happen soon. With the Skulkears we might have had time to wait but with this unknown hanging over us, we no longer have the luxury of time," Franlin said flatly.

There were rumbles of concern and worry at the news but no one said anything. There was nothing anyone could do any way. The new machines would allow their kind to recharge without need of the sun, a big boon if the battle continued on through the night when they were at their weakest. The machines could be the difference between defeating the enemy or dying.

Bridget looked up toward the doctor still waiting patiently. "Go ahead and get the supplies you need ordered and stocked but be circumspect. We do not want undo attention drawn to us yet and a large medical purchase would be questioned."

"I understand, elder. I have several different companies I order from so I'll be able to split up my orders among all of them," he said obediently then sat down.

"Thank you Taran. Are there any further problems that need addressing?" Bridget asked the room.

Another member stood, a handsome female in her middle years. "Yes ma'am. The kitten holding area will need many extra paws to help set up more cribs, playpens and more kitten minders," she said calmly.

"All teens and tweens not yet ready for their rite of passage will be instructed to aid in the kitchens, supplies, act as runners for messages, kitten sitting and other chores needed done while this state of emergency stands. It will give them something vital to do that will salve their pride at not being allowed to fight and keep them safe from harm," Bridget ordered, smiling a little.

The she-kat nodded her head and smiled back then took her seat. Silence went on for a few minutes longer and when it was obvious no other issues needed to be brought up, Elder Franlin closed the meeting.

When the meeting broke up, Feders pulled his nephew aside to discuss the issues Feral had to check on.

"Ulysses, if its an outsider, do not delay getting a hold of me. I wish to go along with you on this trip into space. If Dark Kat was involved, we've made a grave mistake taking him out so soon without questioning him," he grimly asserted.

"Yes, I know. I only hope I can find some evidence in his hideaway to determine if he was at fault. I'll let you know immediately and about the other," Ulysses promised.

"Good! Hear from you soon," his uncle said, clapping his nephew on the shoulder before heading to speak with the rest of the commanders of the fleet.

Feral sighed and made his way out of the chamber and to his car quickly.

The standing war with the Skulkears had been going on for centuries. They were a conquering race, making slaves of all the worlds they encountered. Feral's planet had managed to beat off the Skulkears for many years before finally being defeated but a small band of them had escaped and ended up being hunting over half the galaxy until they settled on Aristal. They were not about to leave their new home. They would stand and fight again and with the help of this planet's forces, they would do their damndest to win this time.

It was very late, well after midnight, when the meeting broke up. Despite being tired and worried, Feral knew no time could be wasted so he drove to the salvage yard. He had a very important question to ask of them as well as inform them of the war coming to Aristal.


	6. Chapter 6

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 6: SWAT Kats on Board**

Arriving outside the salvage yard which was dark and silent at this late hour, Feral halted his hummer and got out. Using the keys he had for the gate, he unlocked it and pulled one side open so he could drive in then got out again and closed the gate and wasn't surprised when he was confronted by the silent pair coming up behind him in the dark.

He knew Jake had the whole place wired with a very sophisticated security system, so opening the gate would have triggered an alarm which explained their presence. Only part of him was mildly amused by their gobsmacked faces at seeing him here this late at night.

He was sure they would have taken him out quickly if he'd been anyone else, so they were at a loss at how to explain they knew he had breached the place when the yard only had a simple alarm system and their quick response to an intruder. He was certain they were armed as well but he saw them make furtive movements to hide one of their arms.

Amusement faded though as the reason for this midnight visit pressed on him...time was ticking by.

"Let's go inside. We have things to discuss and I want no ears to hear," he said flatly then walked past them toward the garage. He heard their urgent whispers to each other behind him as they followed.

He went through the open door but didn't go to the waiting area as they had expected. Instead he headed to the back of the garage without blundering into anything since the lights were off and made for the hidden entrance at the rear of the building, built into the floor.

Reaching down, Feral pulled the heavy metal cover up to reveal a metal ladder going down a concrete tunnel access. Without hesitation, he jumped down, eschewing the ladder, landing lightly on his feet on the raised cement staircase. He reached out and turned on the lights which lit the area brilliantly then went down the steps as the pair came hurriedly after him, anger and fear on their faces and scenting the air.

He gave the interior only a cursory glance, noting the Turbokat siting on a turntable at the rear of the huge space, the cyclotrons nearby, the computer work station over to the left of him and a locker room on the right. He turned around and eyed the angry pair before him.

Jake and Chance were furious and scared. 'How the hell did Feral know about us and this place,' were the foremost thoughts he could read easily on their faces.

"I know you're upset but there is something far more important to be discussed than your anger at being found out. So listen up then you'll get to ask your questions," Feral said bluntly. "An enemy of the Feral Clan has found Aristal. They are a ruthless species that stripes a world of it resources then makes slaves of its inhabitants before moving on, leaving nothing but a ball of dirt behind. It's nearly like what happened with the Ci-Kat-As, except the Skulkears take the population not convert it.

My people fought them for more than two decades before being nearly decimated. To survive as a species, we escaped into space and ran while they hunted us for a millennia. Finally, exhausted and tired of running we managed to finally lose the hunters long enough to find this planet. We settled down and raised our families. That was more than four centuries ago.

However, earlier this evening, I followed a report of something crashing to the ground over in the Bay View Forest area. My enforcers failed to locate it but I didn't. What I discovered was a downed scout ship, our enemy had finally found their way to this solar system. What's different this time is we refuse to be run off or taken again. So we plan to fight!"

When he paused to see how they were taking this information, he was annoyed but not surprised when he saw their plain disbelief and renewed anger.

"Are you nuts? Why should we believe such science fiction, especially from you?" Chance asked scathingly.

"I have to agree. You sound like you've been sniffing catnip or smoking it!" Jake snarled in disgust.

Feral's eyes narrowed. 'Fine if that's how it has to be...' he thought in annoyance as he allowed his body to glow with energy. Raising a paw he fired a bolt of it at the toms' feet making them leap backward and take defensive postures, holding out their glovatrixes' they had been hiding behind their backs. Snarling, Feral flashed longer fangs than Kats possessed and lunged at them.

Immediately, Chance fired a spider missile as Jake sent a tarpedo at the charging enforcer. To their shock, Feral vanished into thin air leaving the missiles with no target but the ones who fired them. While Chance tried to remove the sticky substance from his face and Jake attempted to disentangle himself from the netting, Feral suddenly appeared behind Chance, smacking the tabby across the back which flung him across the floor while kicking out with a foot to the still tangled Jake, catching the tom in the chest, and sending him skating across the cement floor to strike his work station.

Grunting in anger, Chance finally removed enough of the stuff to see as he climbed to his feet then rushed over to help his friend get free of the netting. Once more standing united before Feral, who was standing in a defensive posture and hadn't moved, the pair gave each other a silent message then warily began to circle the dark tom again as they separated enough so they had firing room. Feral kept his eye on them, watchfully, waiting for their next move.

This time Jake fired first, sending a bolo missile toward Feral while Chance made a more physical move by throwing his body at the dark tom, attempting to keep the tom down once the bolo wrapped his legs.

To the pair's dismay and shock, this time instead of disappearing, Feral chose to send a bolt of energy at the missile, disintegrating it while instantly making an invisible shield that Chance smacked into with his face and rebounded off to land on his butt.

Jake gaped in shock at Feral while Chance groaned and shook his head from colliding with the now dissipated shield. Feral continued to stay in a defensive posture, watching both of them warily.

Shaking his head, Jake raised his paws to signal an end to hostilities then walked over to his partner and helped the tabby to his feet.

Feral relaxed his posture then moved off to lean against a nearby wall, folding his arms across his chest. "Are we through playing these games because time is against us!"

Jake stared at Feral intently. "So, you really are an alien. Those tales about the Feral clan is at least partly true then."

Feral nodded.

"Where were you from originally, " the small tom asked curiously.

"I, personally, was born here but from our historical records I was taught about a world in a galaxy some five light years away. Other alien species' called us Solarians because of our ability to use the energy of a sun to generate power within ourselves. We didn't have any name for ourselves so we used that since it fit."

Jake blinked in surprise. "Really? Wow! That's a cool ability though I would think night time wouldn't be such a good thing for you in a battle," he said thoughtfully.

Feral nodded at Jake in respect. "You are truly brilliant and such a mind is wasted in this garage. Perhaps I could offer you something that challenges you more when all this is over, but right now, yes you are correct. That is a weakness of ours but a recent invention has offered promise of being able to allow us to recharge without the sun."

"Cool. I'd love to see it..." Jake began, his eyes gleaming with interest.

"Okay, enough of this. What I want to know is more about this enemy that's coming here!" Chance interrupted, a bit annoyed at Jake's more easy acceptance of Feral.

Feral's face went grim. "You are correct, Chance...we do have more important things to discuss. Though these aliens, known as Skulkears, chased my kind across the galaxy, we are not the reason they have come here. Like I said earlier, their main goal in life is to find fertile planets that meet their need for conquest, resources and slaves and send them back to their home world. It really was only a matter of time before they finally arrived here. That being said, we have been preparing for their eventual arrival so that your planet could, hopefully, beat them off or better yet, destroy the mother ship so that no one follows them here. Only one mother ship heads in a certain direction..."

"Ahhh...so that means no other Skulkears mother ship will be coming in this direction again," Jake finished for him.

"Exactly!" Feral said, pleased by how quick Jake was. It made it so much easier to get them up to speed than spend hours of explanation.

"Okay, so where do we come in because its obvious to me you didn't just come here to tell us you knew who we were and to warn us about this threat? You're up to something," Chance said.

Feral blinked in surprise. 'Okay, so he's not so dense between the ears after all!' He thought. "I'm surprised you surmised that. Sometimes, I get the impression there isn't a functioning brain behind all that arrogance," he snorted.

Chance growled at him but didn't take the bait.

"Anyway, yes...I have plans for you but they were ones that I had prepared years ago and only now have to activate. You were a primary feature of them as well as the build up of weapons and equipment for use by the enforcers if and when the need arised."

"What?" Chance snarled angrily. "That implies you knew about us from the beginning...wait that would mean..." The tabby's face got red and he lunged at Feral, grabbing his coat labels in both his paws and shoving his face in the Solarian's. "Are you telling me, you deliberately forced us out of the enforcers?"

Feral stared calmly into the angry tabby's face. "Yes, I did. It was necessary!"

"Necessary?" Chance nearly shouted.

"Yes! As simple enforcers you weren't reaching your potential. I needed warriors that could think quickly and act without being hung up on rules."

Chance gaped at Feral then released him, stepping back and trying to make sense of what he was hearing. "I can't believe you! You wanted us because we broke the rules?" He asked in disbelief.

"Of course! Because you could behave outside the box that meant you could react much quicker to things that were beyond the norm and not freeze up or lose your head because you didn't have orders or manuals to cover the situation. The appearance of the omegas gave me the idea, especially after I saw how good you were as a team. Putting you out at that moment allowed you to get much needed experience in learning to fight on your own and be flexible which is a skill you'll need to fight this enemy."

Chance seemed nonplussed. 'Wow! He really means that which is amazing considering how he treated us but that was obviously a ploy as well. He's really hidden a lot about himself.' "Okay, so you forced us out and made us become the SWAT Kats. I wish you could have done it differently so that we didn't lose so much of our reputation in the process," he said in a more subdued voice.

Regret shone from Feral's eyes. "Believe me, if there was a better way, I would have chosen it. I know your lives since your expulsion has been hard and I"m truly sorry but I was only looking toward the future and ensuring both our races survive what is coming. Even if it never happened in our life times, plans had to be laid just in case."

"I understand," Chance sighed in resignation. He really couldn't damn Feral for what he'd done. The Solarian was only doing what he had to in ensuring they all survived a possible invasion which, it appeared, had actually materialized. "Okay, so what's next? What's our part in this?"

Feral nodded, accepting they were burying the hatchet and moving on. "Thank you for being reasonable, Chance." Sighing he said, heavily, "first I need to know if you engaged in a battle against a small ship yesterday evening?"

Jake's eyebrows raised in surprise. "No, we did a patrol but didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary for once."

The Solarian's shoulders slumped. "I had a small hope you had since that would make this easier but now I will have to check Dark Kat's hideout to see if he was responsible for a Skulkear scout ship being knocked from orbit and destroyed."

Jake hissed in shock, his mind seeing the implications of such an attack. "Damn, that means there might be another enemy besides the Skulkears if Dark Kat isn't the guilty one."

Feral nodded grimly.

Now it was Chance's turn to hiss with anger. "Damn! We just can't seem to catch a break anywhere!"

"Yeah, I know," Feral said, rubbing his temples as his tiredness began to push at him as well as the fact he'd used too much energy today and hadn't been able to recharge yet.

A touch on his shoulder made him look up in surprise. Jake stood there looking at him in concern.

"Are you alright? You look really done in."

Heaving a heavy sigh, Feral gave him a wane smile. "I found the Skulkears ship around six o'clock, destroyed all signs of the scout ship, went to notify the clan, then demonstrated to you, so, yeah, I'm a little drained at the moment and it hadn't been a great day on top of that."

"I know there's a time limit but you could miss something important when you're this tired. I say let's get some sleep and head out to Dark Kat's hideout early in the morning," Jake suggested firmly.

"Also a trip in space," Feral added.

Jake's eyebrows rose in question.

"If Dark Kat isn't responsible, we need to go into space and look around for someone hanging about that doesn't belong here."

"Wonderful! Then we'd better refuel and load up tonight then hit the hay," Chance said grimly.

"I agree. Go home, Feral...get some sleep and meet us here around seven in the morning...which gives you five hours rest," Jake said.

"You're right, I'm anxious but tired. See you at seven," Feral said, smothering a yawn. Though he was really feeling pressed to get what they needed done, he knew Jake was right...he was just too tired to do the job right. He gave them a wave goodbye and climbed back up from the hangar and out to his hummer.

Chance and Jake followed him. The tabby opened the gate and watched as the hummer drove out and down the road. He closed the gate and relocked it.

"This has been the most incredible night of my life," he muttered to his friend as they went back inside, locking up behind them then going back to the hangar to load the Turbokat.

"I agree. Who could have guessed Feral would turn out to be an alien. All those suspicions about the Feral clan make sense now," Jake said, shaking his head.

"I would have been happier never knowing that nor the fact he put us out of the enforcers deliberately."

Jake grimaced at that observation and could only nod in agreement.

It took them an hour to prepare the Turbokat then finally dragged their tails to bed with only four hours to catch some much needed sleep. It was going to be a strange and stressful day later.


	7. Chapter 7

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 7: A Surprise in Space **

Feral's alarm went off but he barely heard it. Crud he was soo tired but he had to get up. Staggering from his bed, he took care of his personal needs then, still in just boxer shorts, he went to his living room, opened his curtains to allow the morning sun to shine in then began to do some slow graceful movements to warm up his body. The slow intricate movements, resembling a mesh of martial arts, dance and yoga, exposed all parts of his body to the energy of the sun pouring over him.

He was sweating lightly and his body glowed softly when he finally stopped some thirty minutes later and went to shower and dress, feeling much more energized which is what the sun always did for him. Since he was going to be with the SWAT Kats this morning, he decided to opt for a plain, gray, enforcer flight suit. Grabbing his keys, wallet, and weapon, he headed out the door.

Less than five minutes later, he was on the road heading for the salvage yard.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Jake yawned and stretched. Getting up, he headed to the bathroom pausing a moment to bang on his partner's door.

"Chance, time to get up!" Then he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

The tabby groaned and tried to burrow into his pillow when he heard the shower start. He thought he could grab just a few minutes more of sleep. He hated the fact that Jake could live on just a few hours of sleep at a time and be fresh while he needed a full eight or even ten to feel remotely rested.

He jolted what seemed like minutes later when another hard bang shook his door.

"Chance, get a move on...now!" Jake hollered.

"I'm up!" He growled unhappily as he pushed his bedding off and stumbled to the bathroom himself. A quick shower later had only woken him up marginally but remembering what they had to do today, he forced himself to be alert. The cup of coffee Jake had made him helped perk him up more.

Jake just gave him a smirk and shake of his head at his partner's irritable mood, as he himself, got some cereal and hurriedly ate knowing Feral would be arriving soon.

Chance had barely finished his own meal when the sound of a vehicle coming into the yard reached his ears. "Feral's here." He announced sighing, getting up and dumping his cup and dish in the sink.

"Yep, its him alright," Jake concurred, having looked out the window to check.

The two of them hurried downstairs in time to open the door to the Chief Enforcer standing outside about to knock. He nodded at them as they gestured for him to come in then closed and locked the door behind him.

"You hide your rig?" Chance asked gruffly, as they made for the rear of the garage.

"Yes...parked it behind a stack of crushed cars...closed and locked the gate too," Feral answered, easily.

"Thanks. I see you're dressed for the trip too," Chance commented, surprised but pleased that Feral had chosen to dress down.

"I'm not here in my official capacity," Feral said, matter-of-factly.

"Good idea. Now give us a sec and we'll be ready," Jake said as he and Chance went to their changing area.

As promised they took only minutes to get ready and were soon armed to the teeth and heading for the Turbokat with Feral on their heels. Jumping onto the wing together, T-Bone gestured for Feral to take the jump seat next to Razor. Soon the jet was zooming through the hidden runway and into the early morning sky.

"What heading are we taking to get to Dark Kat's hideout?" Razor asked Feral.

"East of the Feral Clan holdings."

"Roger, T-Bone head northeast, hug the mountains heading to the Feral spread," Razor relayed to T-Bone.

"Got it." T-Bone turned on all engines and they were soon speeding toward the mountains arriving within twenty minutes.

The pilot slowed their approach and waited for further instructions. Below them was the jagged peaks that made up this section of the Katatones Mountain Range that went from the desert in the south to the far north, ranging past the Tymurr Federation over a thousand miles away.

"You're nearly there. See that tall pinnacle...just right of there and about fifty feet down will be a barely seen cave entrance," Feral told him through his helmet radio.

Following instructions, T-Bone flew the jet closer to their destination then went to VTOL and dropped the required fifty feet until Razor spotted the cave in question.

"So how do we do this? There's no where to land," T-Bone asked as they hovered near the opening.

"The cave is large enough to take the jet, I was told. The decision to go in is yours," Feral said.

"Hmm, let me do some readings first, buddy, then we'll know..." Razor said as he checked his sensors. "Okay, he's right, there is just enough room to park and get back out. Fly dead center and only about sixty feet in."

"Roger." T-Bone said, carefully turned the jet so it was pointed dead center at the entrance then slowly moved the jet forward on its air jets, gliding them along until they were the required distance in and with only fifteen feet on either side to maneuver...a very tight space indeed...but T-Bone managed to get them in safely then lowered the jet to the ground, shutting the engines off.

"Nice flying," Feral complimented, as he took off his helmet and prepared to debark.

T-Bone flashed him a grin, surprised and pleased Feral would make a positive comment at all. He popped the canopy and leaped down to the ground followed by Razor then Feral. They immediately set off to explore the interior.

Where they were was a long, narrow, cavern but off to the right were many openings that lead further into the mountain. They wrinkled their noses as a nasty stench reached their noses, the reason for it came into view as they reached the opening and saw dead creeplings and a couple of ninjas corpses laying shredded on the pathway.

Without commenting, they pushed on losing the light from the entrance and being forced to turn on head lamps. Feral didn't have a flashlight so simply used a small amount of energy to glow like a small lantern.

The SWAT Kats blinked at him in amazement.

"Woah! Talk about being one's own lamp for crud sake," T-Bone finally blurted out.

"The name they gave you guys certainly fits," Razor added, shaking his head.

Feral just shrugged and pushed ahead of them, lighting the way. Eyeing each other and shrugging, the pair shelved their uneasiness with Feral's abilities and returned their attention to the reason they were here.

After some ten minutes of walking over the uneven and rocky ground as well as avoiding slipping in bits and blood of dead creeplings, they found themselves in another large cavern. This one had been made partly habitable with lights strung across the ceiling, equipment mounted or standing against the walls and in the center of the floor and a huge computer console with gigantic screen on one wall. Cables for power were snaking all over the floor adding to the general difficulty of walking around in here.

The smell was worse here with more decaying bodies of ninjas and creeplings laying all over the place. Some damage had been done to the equipment as parts were scattered on the floor. A rather large blood spot could be seen in front of the computer console, the chair trashed nearby. The battle had been really bloody, both SWAT Kats thought, grimly.

By mutual and silent consent, the three split up and began their search for anything that could tell them if Dark Kat had been responsible for the Skulkear's crash landing. But after more than two hours of combing through everything including the omega's computers, they could turn up nothing about a space ship, only a couple of plans he was working on to bring down Megakat City. That information caused them to check out some of the inventions that were laying around to make sure none were operational or nearly so.

"Uh oh! Guys, come over here!" Razor shouted.

The other two rushed over to his side. Razor was standing beside a huge machine that didn't look anything like a weapon...more like a computer bank instead.

"This thing is supposed to direct a powerful energy beam that would have leveled the city once it was hooked up to the Mega Beam Laser Satellite M.A.S.A was going to launch into space. He was going to steal it and attach it to this machine. Looks like you were in time to halt the whole thing Feral when your clan took DK out," Razor said grimly.

"Bastard was a whole lot of trouble," Feral growled. "I think we should simply destroy this whole place so no one else can get the bright idea to become the next big ass omega."

"I agree. Let's get out of here and get this done since we don't have our answer and have to go into space after all," Razor concurred, turning to head back out of the hideout.

Soon they were aboard the jet and T-Bone was carefully guiding it out of the cave. Once in free air, he headed forward some distance until Razor said it was far enough then he halted them and turned around again. Razor sent some powerful missiles straight into the entrance. Moments later the mountain side collapsed with a satisfying boom.

Satisfied no one would find any thing much less get into the hideaway, T-Bone prepared to send the jet toward space when Feral called to him.

"Wait! An elder wanted to go on this trip. I must contact him before we do anything else," he said, quickly.

Razor blinked in surprise. "Well, okay. How are you going to contact him?"

"Tune your radio to frequency 204," Feral said in answer. Razor nodded and did so then handed him the radio mike.

"This is Ulysses calling for Elder Feders...please respond quickly!"

After a wait of five minutes, a voice spoke through the radio. "Going into space?" It asked, briskly.

"Yes sir!"

"Go ahead! Problems here have me unable to join. Report your findings immediately upon return...copy?" His uncle said.

"I copy. See you upon our return, Ulysses out!" Feral responded. "Okay, T-Bone head up!"

"You got it!" The pilot grunted and sent the nose of the Turbokat upward toward the stratosphere.

Once they reached the thinner air, Razor engaged the speed-of-heat shield, which left them blind except for their instruments guiding them.

Razor kept a tight watch on his screens. For more than thirty minutes nothing showed up on his monitors but small meteorites that made many holes in the jet's skin. He hissed in annoyance about all the buffing that would need to be done to restore the jet's body.

"Nothing in orbit, buddy. Time to range a little further out but keep our planet in view as we don't want to get lost out here since I don't have that type of navigation to guide us around," he warned his partner.

Feral chaffed at not being able to see outside. In one of his people's ships he would have been able to see space easily but he couldn't risk them being discovered simply because he wished to see, so he fumed in frustration.

Another hour was spent searching outward from their planet as far as they dared. It wasn't until they and the moon happened to be aligned at the same time that Razor spotted something on its surface.

"Got something! It's not rock and it reflects light. T-Bone move about 100 miles toward the moon and hold our position," he ordered as he fine tuned his monitors to bring in the image his sensors had spotted. Activating a long range sensor he'd been working on, he focused it on the target.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, worriedly to himself.

Feral quickly, released his straps and leaned toward Razor's viewer, staring in the scope, he hissed at what he saw. "It's a space ship but it's not a Skulkear. I have no clue what race that could be. Can your radio send a signal that far?" He asked, urgently.

"I'm not really sure but no reason it shouldn't since there's no air to impede it," Razor said thoughtfully. "What do you want to do...say hello? They might not understand you."

Feral snorted. "That may be your planet's problem but not ours. There is a universal language all space faring species use and all Solarians are taught it as kittens. It was insurance against possible visitors to this world. Our elders wanted to make sure we could communicate with them."

"Wow! That's really smart and certainly handy now. Okay then...frequency is open, fire away, Commander," Razor said.

Feral began to speak but Razor and T-Bone could only listen in confused interest as a language like nothing they'd ever heard before, came from the Commander's lips. It had a rather liquid cadence to it and was pleasant to the ear. Feral spoke for some minutes than stopped and listened. Nothing seemed to happen for more than ten minutes. Sighing, Feral spoke again, his tone more persuasive than the originally demanding tone he'd used the first time. Again he paused and waited.

This time, after another ten minute wait, a rather thick, oddly accented, and high pitched voice spoke. The tones sounded angry to T-Bone and Razor. When the voice stopped speaking, Feral answered in a more soothing, conciliatory tone. Whatever the other had said, apparently Feral found no threat in it and was trying to make friends. Well, that was good news...sort of.

When Feral stopped talking again, a note of gentle pleading in his voice at the end, there was silence then the voice of the visitor spoke in a more quieter tone. Feral seemed to relax to Razor's eyes.

His suspicion was borne out when Feral turned to them and said, "its okay, this is someone who has an ax to grind against our unwanted visitor. His home was destroyed by the Skulkears and he's been hunting them for most of his adult life. He's...angry, cold, and revenge filled but I could hear intense loneliness as well. I've urged him to accept the hospitality of the Feral Clan to rest and recuperate. I told him we could help each other. Can you imagine what kind of intel he could tell us on the Skulkears movements?" Feral said, barely able to suppress his eagerness to ask this visitor some pointed questions.

"Well, how fantastic is that? What astronomical odds that is to have found a new ally that might be able to help us," Razor said, amazed and relieved..

"Yes, it's the first break we've had in a long time and...wait...here he comes!" Feral interrupted himself as a small, sleek ship headed toward them from the moon. It was very fast because it took only ten minutes to reach them where they floated in orbit around their world.

"Incredible! That thing really moves!" T-Bone breathed, admiringly.

"Not so special for a space craft," Feral snorted. "Let's lead our friend to my home shall we?"

"You got it!" T-Bone acknowledged, turning the Turbokat toward their planet and engaging all engines to get home quicker.

"Are we going to be welcome, too, Commander?" Razor thought to ask. He didn't want to run afoul of the Feral's in any way even if they were with one of the clan at the moment.

"You are cleared, don't worry," Feral said, easily, aware of what Razor was thinking and a little amused by it.

"By the way, is our guest's space ship capable of landing on a planet?" Razor asked.

"Yes. I asked. You are right, some ships are not equipped to do surface landings which is why I checked first," Feral said, pleased by Razor's concern and knowledge.

Soon they were plunging through the atmosphere then heading toward the Feral Clan's territory.

The trip took more than forty minutes but soon they were within a mile of the conclave.

"Razor, tune your radio to the previous frequency I gave you, please. I need to clear us," Feral said as they came into view of the conclave. Razor gave him the go ahead. "This is Feral, require clearance for the Turbokat and a visitor from space. I vouch my life for both."

Razor blinked in surprise at that addition to Feral's request. 'Wow, they mean business when it comes to security,' he thought.

"Ulysses. Permission granted," the voice that had spoken to them earlier told them.

"Thank you," Feral said then addressed the pilot, "T-Bone, land on that bare area you see to the right and behind the out buildings on the property."

"I see it!" T-Bone answered then piloted the jet toward the indicated area with their alien visitor following close behind.

The two visitors landed nearby each other. The SWAT Kats and Feral leaped out of the jet and began walking toward the space ship quickly. Their visitor had not opened a portal by the time they arrived. From behind them, a small group of Solarians began to approach.

A tom that looked very much like Feral came to stand by the Commander. The other Solarians formed a half circle and waited, cautious and alert...none displayed any weapons though Razor thought they might have some on their persons somewhere, however, their own natural weapons were probably more formidable so he might be wrong about them even carrying a weapon.

Once everyone had arrived and stood quietly, they spent the time waiting for the visitor to come out by studying the ship. The ship itself was as big as a small passenger jet but bigger in the center with no wings. It was an unimpressive oval shape or maybe teardrop was a better description, and was a bluish silver color. It sat on huge thick 'legs'.

Suddenly, there was a brief humming in the air and a flash of light. Once that vanished, it left a person standing a few feet from them.


	8. Chapter 8

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 8: A New Ally **

T-Bone and Razor had startled when the guy just appeared like that but the Solarians had apparently seen this form of transport before because none of them reacted. Then Razor chastised himself as he remembered Feral had disappeared then reappeared before them when he told them what he was. Perhaps this guy could do the same trick.

Shaking himself, he focused on what the guy looked like. He wore a strange kind of material that shimmered when he moved but it resembled nothing so special as one of their own g-suits, colored a deep blue. The only weapon they could see on it was an odd looking pistol in a holster on its hip. A necklace made of some kind of strange bluish glowing metal hung from its neck and had an odd round amulet on it. It was his face that arrested the pair though.

'He didn't look anything like a Kat but then why would he? As a matter of fact, what made them think it was a he at all?' Razor thought, suddenly. 'Nothing about its appearance screamed one sex over another. Huh! Well that's a sobering thought.'

The closest thing this person vaguely resembled was one of their fox species found on Aristal. It stood over six feet tall and had a lean, rangy look about it. Its most defining features were: huge bat-like ears that pointed straight up from its rather oval head; a long muzzle that a pair of fangs could be seen peeking from either side of the mouth; huge round eyes with pupils that were orange circled by a blue ring; hair or fur, it was hard to tell which, was a rust color and thick, some stuck up in a Mohawk between its ears; a white blaze went from its forehead down over its muzzle; whiskers that were very long; possessed six long fingers on each paw covered by some kind of dark glove material; it's feet were clad in some kind of black boot that went up to his knees; the finishing touch to its appearance was a thick busy tail with a white tip swishing slowly behind it.

It was also very clear to see the visitor had fought in many battles as attested by its many scars that could be seen on its paws, a piece torn out of his right ear, and a wicked scar which ran from its forehead to its mouth on the left side of its face, giving it a rather rakish look. There were probably many more on its body hidden by its clothing. One thing was sure, it had to be a deadly fighter to still be alive if it had fought for as long as it had told Feral.

No one Razor wanted to meet in a dark alley any time soon.

Since Feral had been the one who had made first contact, it was he who spoke with the alien. In that odd language he'd said was universal around the galaxy, he seemed to be introducing himself and those around him as he pointed to each person that stood near him, including themselves, Razor noted in pleased surprise.

The alien listened silently and when Feral ceased to speak, it spoke a small, short speech before going silent again. Whatever he'd said, Razor noticed those around him didn't seem surprised nor angry.

Feral spoke a short sentence of his own then made a gesture toward the big house a short distance away. The alien nodded, beginning to move forward but not closing the gap between itself and the large group of people that surround them.

So it was a large moving mass that headed toward the mansion. The Solarians were careful to maintain the space the alien kept around itself, not wanting to upset nor make it angry. The walk was made in grim silence.

T-Bone moved closer to Feral and made to speak but the dark tom's head turned toward him slightly and gave the tabby a stare that clearly said 'don't speak' before turning his head forward again.

Sighing, T-Bone resigned himself to waiting like everyone else about what was going on, although, he and Razor would have to wait even longer since they didn't know what was being said. He drifted back to walk beside his partner who gave him a troubled look which T-Bone returned.

Finally they reached the house but they didn't head toward the porch where the back door was, instead they stopped at what appeared to be a blank wall of the house. After only a moment, the section of wall slide into itself revealing a metal walled door which led to some stairs that disappeared into the darkness.

Feral and his uncle plus five other Solarians, the doorway was that wide, headed down first, the alien followed, the rest of the Solarians right behind it, with the SWAT Kats bring up the rear. As they passed through, the heavy door slide closed behind them. Subdued lightning allowed them to see where they were going.

The stairs ended some ten minutes later in their meeting chamber. All the adult Solarians that heeded the call to return to the homestead now filled the room and watched in hushed silence as the procession went up to the podium where the leaders of the clan now stood waiting for them.

The Solarians that formed the guard around the alien, took up positions below the podium while Feral, his uncle, the alien and, with a motion from one the guards, the reluctant SWAT Kats.

Feral made a small hand gesture to indicate the SWAT Kats should stand behind him which they did quickly. The alien stood facing the four elders while Feral and his uncle stood to one side out of the way.

Feral made the introductions, gesturing to each elder who made a quiet statement of welcome to the stranger.

It was obvious the alien visitor was very nervous at being surrounded by so many but no one made a move toward it, the crowd remained quiet, and everyone one else did their best to be as benign as possible to set it at ease.

The alien looked around the room slowly then turned back to the four leaders before it. It said something in its harsh voice...it sounded like a question to Razor. He chaffed at not being able to understand what was being said. This was a really important moment and he and T-Bone, though standing right in the middle of it, were denied any way of hearing what the alien was saying.

One of the female elders spoke gently to the stranger and made a gesture for it to sit down with them. They had their chairs brought away from the table and set in a circle with an additional chair for the visitor.

After a long moment of hesitation it seemed to trust them enough to move forward which signaled the elders to do the same and make for the chairs. Soon they were all sitting and a conversation began.

To the SWAT Kats surprise, Feral began to mutter softly to them, translating what was being said. Pleased, they relaxed and listened closely.

_*"I and my fellow elders wish to convey our sorrow at your extreme loss. We understand it far too well as we too were victims of the Skulkears. Only luck and careful planning allowed this remnant of our kind to survive to escape and start anew," _Bridget said, commiserating with their visitor's grief and anger.

"_Please forgive me for asking, but are you certain none of your species escaped their fate?" _Jariken asked, carefully.

The visitor barked, which they took to be a laugh, though sad sounding._ "Indeed, Solarian, that hope stayed with me over the long, lonely years I searched but after more than a decade and longer, I had to concede no one had managed to escape or survive even as slaves. We were far too intractable to be tamed, so they slaughtered us," _it said bitterly.

"_We are truly sorry, no one wishes to be left so bereft and alone. Please accept our hospitality. Rest, give your inner spirit time to recover among those who only wish to ease your burden as much as we can. We can help you refresh your supplies and fuel if you need it as well," _Breeann gently encouraged.

The stranger eyed them for a moment. _"Your offer is much welcomed, but what must I do for this assistance?" _It demanded, flatly.

"_The Skulkear you destroyed was a scout which I'm sure you knew as I'm almost certain you also know means the mother ship will be searching for it. All we ask from you is all the information you've gathered on our mutual enemy that will aid us in our fight to keep this world safe from them," _Franlin said bluntly, knowing being honest up front would prevent any misunderstandings later.

The stranger seemed surprised by that honest answer. Frowning, it sat back in its seat and seemed to think for several minutes. Leaning forward again, it said, cautiously_, "you swear that is all you wish from me?"_

"_I swear by our blood and the lives of all our kind that is all we want from you. Our offer of assistance is not tied to you agreeing or not. We do not believe in putting a price on aiding a fellow survivor," _Franlin said gravely.

The alien's shoulder relaxed a little and nodded its head. _"Then I agree to your terms with my grateful thanks. I am very tired of fighting and traveling. It will feel good to have a solid planet beneath my feet and breathe unfiltered air."_

"_Welcome then to the Feral Clan holdings on Aristal. Please feel free to stay as long as you need or wish to. May we ask what you call yourself?" _Franlin said, warmly.

"_My species is call Jejune and my name is, Lunare."_

"_Excuse me, but are you male or female or...," _Bridget asked, delicately.

Lunare gave a barking laugh, its mouth stretched in an obvious smile. _"I am both, actually, as are all my kind."_

Bridget blinked in surprise but smiled warmly at Lunare, _"well I can safely say, I've never encountered such a species as you before. Welcome Lunare. Are you hungry?"_

"_Yes, dame...very much so. My supplies are severely depleted."_

"_Then we will now adjourn and find some food that is compatible for you. Do you have a way to determine if various food stuffs are safe for you," _Bridget asked as she and her fellow elders rose to their feet and gathered Lunare among them as they led him off.

"_I do dame," _Lunare said, his voice fading as he disappeared with the elders.

Feral and the SWAT Kats did not follow the group nor did anyone else. The meeting chamber emptied quietly as everyone returned to their homes. The elders would disseminate what the clan needed when they were ready and had all the information they could get from their visitor, until then they would all continue to prepare for the battle to come.

As Feral led the SWAT Kats upstairs to the house above, Razor murmured aloud, "gee, the poor guy. To be left all alone, the only one of his kind left...I don't know what I'd do in that circumstance."

"Yeah, that's really tough. Do you think Lunare will stay around awhile, Feral?" T-Bone asked.

"Lunare is exhausted, we all can sense that, in mind, body, and spirit. I don't truly know if it will but it certainly needs too," Feral said, sadly.

"It sounds so odd to call Lunare an it. I never thought there would be such a thing as a creature with both sexes except for hermaphrodites but they are usually strongly one sex over the other but I get the impression that's not so about Lunare," T-Bone mused.

"No, it said their entire race is that way so, though it looks male, its not so that means they must all look sort of like a male," Feral said, shrugging.

"So, its and it," T-Bone snorted. "Okay, on another subject? Until we get the information Lunare has what do you want us to do now?"

They had reached the living area of the house and Feral continued on through until they were once more outside and walking toward the Turbokat. He stopped about halfway and turned to talk with them.

"Well, we still have our omegas to deal with and you have your jobs, so going on with business as usual is all we can do at this moment. We're gearing up but most of the work is already done. When I'm given the go ahead, I will be giving a live demonstration of what I can do to my enforcers and the Mayor."

"What? Why?" Razor asked, stunned.

"Because, I need my enforcers to know of the danger coming and prepare for it as well as outfit them with all the equipment, weapons, and vehicles I've stashed for this purpose. Then I need to have the authority to institute martial law when our enemy arrives so I can order the Katizens to head for cover and stay hidden, less loss of life that way but, of course, I'll need the Mayor's authorization to do that. If I were to just tell his honor what I just told you without proving it...well..." Feral paused significantly.

"...he'd think you were crazy... yeah, I get it. So we keep a low profile until your elders give the go ahead or the enemy finds us whichever happens first," Razor finished for him and sighed.

"No, I will do the demonstration very soon, long before the enemy arrives. With luck, they won't show for some months. Even with warp drive, it will take that long for the mother ship to go from the edge of our universe to our world so we do have some time. We'll have a better idea when Lunare tells us what he knows. I hope that means it has knowledge of the location of the mother ship. That would help us the most right now," Feral said.

"Miracles do happen, sometimes," Razor said with a small smile which Feral returned wanly. "We'd better get going, T-Bone. See you later, Commander."

Feral nodded and waved at them then waited until they reached their jet and lifted off then turned and went back into the house.

_**Author's Note: This * denotes the universal language the Solarians and Lunare are speaking.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 9: A Moment's Reflection**

Arriving back at their hangar, T-Bone and Razor slowly changed clothes while their minds mulled over what they'd seen and heard that day.

"It gives me the shivers to know we have a threat greater than the omegas heading for us." Jake voiced his concern as he tossed his g-suit into the laundry basket.

"Yeah, I know. I feel sort of like we're spectators rather than fighters against this enemy that threatens us. The Solarians will be doing the front line fighting against them with us as backup and that just feels wrong somehow. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know...it hits your pride that you're not out there in the front as always..."

"No, that's not it!" Chance jumped in, cutting his friend off. "This is our world...it should be our fight! But I'm not stupid! I know this enemy is far ahead of us technologically and that they'll be able to wipe us out without batting an eye. However, that doesn't change how I feel."

Jake stared at his friend in surprise. Chance was very passionate about this, more than his lover expected but he certainly agreed with him. He went to the tabby's side and wrapped an arm around him.

"I understand and I sympathize with you, but it **is **their world too now. Remember, Feral said they've been here for centuries and he was born here. That makes them one of us, just a little different. So really it isn't them protecting us...its **all** of us protecting **our** world. The fact we must be the rear guard is because they know how to fly in space, have the ships to do it and weaponry to match their enemy's."

"Okay, you're right." Chance sighed then gave his lover a small sheepish smile. "I guess its really because I'm so used to being the hero, I'm having a difficult time being part of the pack again as we were in the enforcers."

"Now **that** I can truly understand because I feel the same way. However, those Skulkears sound like really bad dudes and, to be truthful, I'm scared witless. This is more than the omegas combined and I'm not ashamed to step aside and allow someone else lead the charge. But, I'll still be right there making sure none of those creeps get through to the planet."

Chance eyed his partner for a long moment, raising his arms to hug him back. "Thanks for letting me vent and putting this whole thing in perspective for me. You're right. All that matters is saving our world and it doesn't matter who is doing the rescuing."

"That's the spirit partner. Now how about we shelve this unhappy business for a little while and spend some quality time...hmmm..." Jake purred, nuzzling Chance under the chin with his head.

"Now that's the best idea I've heard all day. It'll take my mind off the waiting."

"Good because I'll obsess about this if I'm not properly distracted," Jake admitted, huskily, tilting his head up to ask for a kiss.

Chance sighed and poured his heart into a burning kiss that could take their minds off everything. Jake was only too right about obsessing. The brilliantly intelligent tom had a bad habit of turning inward and concentrating on a problem for days on end which made living with him hellish as he would also shut down emotionally too, leaving the tabby lonely.

So it was his job to keep Jake in the here and now, using their love for each other as the perfect distraction. After some long and heavy kissing activity and petting, the two broke, breathless and needy...by mutual consent they turned and headed up the ladder to the garage, pausing briefly to check their messages and relieved there were no calls for tows and no one was waiting outside their closed garage, so with a feeling of playing hooky, they slipped upstairs to their apartment.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Chance wasted no time stripping his clothes off and dropping to the bed, laying on his side and watching his mate. Jake eyed him in amusement, he knew what his lover wanted. Standing near the door, he slowly removed his clothes, first shoes and hat then the teasingly slow draw down of his zipper to his coveralls, Chance eyes glued to him the whole time. He shucked out of the arms then stepped out of it completely. Now he was only in his t-shirt and boxers.

He gave his lover a smirk and turned his back to remove the t-shirt, displaying his well muscled back to its best advantage as his arms raised upward to pull the shirt off. He tossed it to the corner, joining his partner's pile of clothing. Looking over his left shoulder and giving Chance a dark, sexy look, he slowly peeled his boxers off and tossed them.

Now nude, he turned and slinked up to his drooling mate, tail swishing provocatively, cock already getting hard and bobbing from just the heated looks he was being given as he approached the bed then leaned down to give the tabby a heated kiss.

Already hot from the show, Chance grabbed his lighter mate around the waist and pulled him onto his chest so they could hold each other and kiss properly.

They rolled around caressing, hugging, and kissing for some time, their favorite part. There was no hurry for once and they made the time to affirm their bonded status to one another.

Their flirting with she-kats was all in fun. It didn't mean they couldn't admire the beauty of a female's body or perform with one but due to their dangerous lives, they'd opted not to take a female mate. What they had with each other was enough for their needs to be met and it strengthened their partnership which kept them alive.

They had discussed the prospect of passing on their genes and were still uncertain when or if they should even do it. If they opted to breed they decided they would find an amendable female who would take the pair of them and provide them with an off-spring. Whether she would become part of a triad or just a surrogate depended on how well she accepted the two male's bonding. But that was in the future as far as Chance was concerned though Jake had been making rumbles that they could be killed before such a plan took place. So the decision was in the air at the moment.

Their lengthy play had got them both heated enough for the main event. Preferring the rear entry position for its deeper penetration, Chance gently turned his mate onto his paws and knees. Jake was very ready and mewed at his mate to get going already, raising his tail over his back in preparation.

Smirking, the tabby gave the cinnamon tom a playful swat to the but which made Jake yelp and squirm even more, his cock leaking in his excitement. Chance snatched up the tube of lube they always had on the nightstand and slicked his rock hard cock thoroughly and applied some to his mate's hole.

Dropping the tube back on the stand, he reared up and leaned over his mate's ready body, grabbing the tom's scruff in his teeth he thrust forward, quick and hard, something Jake enjoyed and began to ride the smaller tom with abandon.

Jake growled and howled in rising pleasure. The lengthy foreplay had ensured this would not be a long ride. With wild eyes filled with pleasure, Chance pounded into Jake, driving them both to an intense climax. Jake went stiff and howled as his cock sprayed the bed beneath him. His spasms tightened his channel and Chance was squeezed tight. Releasing his mate's scruff, he roared and filled Jake's warm hole with his seed. They held that position of ecstasy for several seconds before collapsing in a heap to the bed.

Feeling limp and wonderful, Chance licked his mate's face in thanks for the fantastic ride. Jake smiled lazily, eyes still closed as he recovered, the tabby's weight not a discomfort for him, rather it made him feel protected...loved.

When he was able to move again, Jake rolled his body, dislodging Chance to fall to the bed then pounced on his mate. "My turn!"

Chance just grinned eagerly. They began all over again, caressing and kissing but this time Jake made a demand once they were heated again. Pushing his mate to his back, he crawled up the big body and stood up on his knees which were on either side of the tom's head.

"You know what to do!"

The tabby grinned wolfishly as he took the bobbing cock before him into his mouth and began to suck and play with the head with his rough tongue. Jake hissed with pleasure as Chance laved his glans thoroughly and used his right paw to fondle the ball sack hanging until it drew up into the body. When it did that, Jake tapped his partner on the nose to make him release him.

The tabby grinned and did so with a parting hard suck and lick to the head, the cock making an obscene pop when it left the tabby's mouth.

Wanting to be face to face because it would allow him to kiss his mate, Jake raised his lover's legs onto his shoulders, lubed his hard tool, then slid home into that waiting channel. Both groaned as Jake's balls slapped against Chance's bottom showing they were firmly seated to each other. Holding that position and not immediately thrusting, was a trick Jake had learned would drive them both crazy.

He leaned forward and began kissing Chance passionately. The tabby squirmed almost immediately, wanting that tool inside him to begin thrusting and hitting his gland but Jake did something more maddening. He moved his hips barely inches away, making tiny thrusting movements that just touched the prostate gland, like a feather touching one's body. It felt like small electric shocks that just kept going on and on. Chance was going crazy after only a few minutes, his hips struggling to lift up to get some relief from the maddening dance Jake had begun but his mate kept him pinned.

Jake wasn't unaffected by his little game, it took all his will power not to just pound away but he'd learned this method brought them the strongest orgasm so he doggedly kept at it until that last wonderful thrust caused a massive surge of lightning, that was their climax, roaring through them. They screamed in unison.

When he could speak again, Chance said thickly, "crud, that is always so amazing."

"You're welcome love," Jake sighed given the tabby little butterfly kisses.

They lay wrapped in each other's arms and fell blissfully asleep.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When they rose later to grab some dinner and perhaps do some work on the Turbokat they received a message from Feral.

They were still in their apartment fixing a meal when there came a buzz at their front gate indicating a possible customer.

Sighing, Chance said, "I'll go get it. Hopefully it will be just a delivery." He walked out of the kitchen and down the stairs to the garage. Unlocking and disarming the security system, he strolled out to the gate.

Outside, waiting patiently, was a young tom with dark brown fur and ebony hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a local band logo on the front of it, black jeans, and tennis shoes. His paws were empty and his gold eyes watched the tabby approach with only casual interest.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Chance asked politely, not opening the gate since it looked like the kid wasn't bringing anything and he couldn't see a car anywhere.

"I'm just delivering a message. You're Chance Furlong, correct?" The young male asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

The young tom paused, looked carefully around for a moment, ears up as he listened for anything or anyone close then turned his attention back to Chance who had gone on alert instantly when the stranger made such a production of checking they were alone.

"Please pay heed, this message is verbatim and verbal," the young male said then launched into an obviously memorized message. '_The demonstration will be conducted four days from now at the small, abandoned town of Genriss. You and your partner are to be there at eight a.m. sharp to stand beside me to show your support and add credence to what I'm about to demonstrate.' _Thismessage is sent by Commander Feral," the tom finished. "Do you understand? Have any questions?"

Chance stood there a moment startled as he realized the tom before him was a Solarian. He didn't look any different than Kat kind which was how they'd been able to integrate so easily among them. But then they'd had centuries to breed with them too so he really didn't know if they had looked any differently than them in the beginning though he was sure it wouldn't have been too obvious a difference except for their hidden abilities.

The young tom cleared his throat and Chance shook himself realizing he'd been wool gathering for a few minutes.

"Sorry, I understand the message and we will be there as asked. No questions. Thank you for delivering it," he managed.

A flash of a bright smile made the tom seem even younger than Chance had first thought. He was very handsome and would be a heartbreaker when older.

"You're welcome, sir." Then the youngster looked around again and simply vanished, like a soap bubble.

Chance gaped at the spot the tom had been. 'Crud, I thought only the adults could do that. Damn what a handy talent. That means they could escape to safety much faster than any of us could. However, it does expend a lot of energy and that little snot did that to show off.

Shaking his head in amusement, Chance realized Solarians kits were just as cocky as Kat kits that age...always showing off. He left the gate and went back up to the apartment where Jake was serving up a delicious smelling casserole that he'd just pulled from the microwave..

Take out did get a bit old and Jake had been taught quite a few meals that could be frozen and stored so they were able to eat a home made meal at least a few times a week.

"What took you so long?" Jake asked as he set the casserole on the table then turned to get milk from the fridge.

"A young Solarian delivered a message and then poofed into thin air," Chance said, deliberately being shocking with his news.

"What?" Jake gaped at him which was the reaction his mate was going for.

Smirking in amusement, Chance said, "yeah, he was, I thought, in his early twenties but when he smiled just before leaving I had to lower that to about his middle teens. But then I could be all wet as we have no idea what these guys life spans are." That made him pause and frown. "Hey, I wonder how old Feral really is?"

Jake shook his head. "Why don't you ask him when we see him next," he huffed in annoyance at Chance for pulling that stunt. The damn tabby was always doing things like that to get a rise out of his mate and it made Jake irritated that he always fell for it. "Now what did the kit have to say?"

"Oh yeah, well I'll be able to ask him then as we've been instructed to appear at that old abandoned town south of here called Genriss. We have to be there at eight in the morning and stand by him while he demonstrates who and what they are. He figures with us there, the Mayor will believe him quicker."

"He's probably right. Wonder what an abandoned town has to do with his demonstration besides being remote, that is?"

"Don't know, but at least we know it's going to be soon. That was fast. I doubt they got much from Lunare this quickly."

"No, but Feral did say he wasn't going to wait to do this. Well we better make sure we're there which means no work that day. You know if this keeps up, we're going to fall behind in our payment's to the enforcers," Jake said worriedly.

Chance snorted. "Maybe we should demand he release us from that damn bill. It was he that caused us to be here in the first place so we shouldn't be punished so punitively for it."

"You know, you're right. I think we should buttonhole him about it right after the demonstration. I know he has a lot on his plate right now but unfortunately, life does still go on and our credit history will be mud if we fall behind on a debt that isn't ours to begin with."

"Good idea. Would be really great to be out from under that bill, though I don't really mind staying and running the garage and yard. It allows us to meet people and have ready access to all the stuff we need to keep flying as the SWAT Kats," Chance said, scratching his chin, thoughtfully.

"Well, that's certainly true, but I'd rather live somewhere else. Anyway, let's shelve that and eat, the foods getting cold." He sat down as did Chance and began to serve up the casserole but his mind was still on the conversation.

'It would be really great not to have to worry about that debt any longer,' he thought. 'Learning about what Feral really was might just turn out to be the break we really needed. However, there is the business of a war coming on top of us...mustn't forget about that.' Jake sighed. 'Our world just seems to be in constant trouble all the time. I truly hope when we win this one, we have a long bit of peace at last, we deserve it.'


	10. Chapter 10

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 10: The Demonstration**

Bright and early, four days later, the SWAT Kats landed their jet near Feral's chopper. Shutting down the jet, they leaped to the ground and Razor used his glovatrix to set the security. The demonstration platform was a couple of blocks away. As they walked that direction they saw enforcers had set up a parking lot not far from the landing area and were already directing cars into it. One of them was a familiar sedan. They changed direction to meet up with it's driver.

"Good morning Ms Briggs," T-Bone sang out when they were in range of her.

Calico Briggs, Deputy Mayor of Megakat City, turned her head to see who hailed her and smiled broadly. She waited until they joined her.

"SWAT Kats. Why are you here?" Was her first question.

"Feral asked us to be here by his side," Razor said, smirking as he knew how she'd react to that tidbit of news.

And she did. Her mouth gaped open and all she could do was stare at Razor in disbelief. When she got her wits back she nearly stuttered in her shock. "A-a-are you kidding me?"

T-Bone grinned and shook his head, "no way would we joke around about something like that. He did ask us to be here."

"B-b-but why?"

"Sorry we can't tell you that," the tabby pilot said, more seriously. "Bad things are coming Ms. Briggs. Listen closely to what Feral is about to tell you then prepare to handle the Mayor."

Callie eyed T-Bone then Razor. Their moment of humor was gone and their faces were grim. Whatever was going on here sent a chill down her back. For the SWAT Kats to cooperate with the enforcers, especially Feral meant something truly awful was about to happen.

"Come on, Ms. Briggs. We better get up there...don't want to be late," T-Bone said, quietly, taking one of her arms and gently tugging her forward.

Still bewildered and now very worried, she let him lead her toward the distant platform. They said nothing more as they walked, each lost in their own thoughts.

When they were just within reach of the steps of the platform, Mayor Manx came up to them, a frown of irritation on this face.

"Callae, do you have any idea why Feral dragged us all the way out here and why the devil are they here?" he demanded, staring at the SWAT Kats in confused dismay, his thick Irish accent more present than normal.

"No, Mayor. Commander Feral didn't tell me anything except that we faced a serious crisis and this demonstration was to show us something to do with that. It was Feral who asked the SWAT Kats to come here," she told him as they walked up the wood steps."

Manx nearly stumbled at that bit of information but was steadied by Razor's quick paw to his arm. "He asked them to be here?" he gasped in disbelief. "Has he gone crazy?" his voice dropped to a worried whisper.

"No, Mayor, he's not crazy," T-Bone answered before Callie could. "I only wish he was then this wouldn't feel like were facing a firing squad." He aided Ms. Briggs up the wooden steps as her heels weren't the best things for climbing.

"Yeah, that's actually a better choice than what we all face," Razor added, grimly, following them.

Callie and Manx stared at the pair in consternation but there was no time to try and pry out of them what they meant as they had reached the top of the platform and Feral stood there waiting for them. There were other there as well, his entire complement of squadron commanders as well as his sniveling second in command. Standing just behind him were his niece, Felina and assistant, Sgt Fallon.

Felina had been away on a special mission for her father which took her away from the city for the past two weeks. She'd only just got back two nights ago and was swiftly brought up to date by her uncle. Her face was just as grim as his as they waited for the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and SWAT Kats to join them.

The entire city council were just making their appearance and were arguing among themselves as they climbed the stairs.

"Feral, I demand to know what this is all about?" Manx huffed, standing with his paws on his hips before the imposing tom.

Feral eyed him coldly. "You will know as soon as everyone else does. Please sit down."

Manx sputtered in anger and tried to threaten the Commander but got only stony silence. Furious, he nearly wanted to leave but Callie was already at his side steering him to his seat and muttering in his ear urgently. He still wasn't happy when he sat but said nothing else. Sighing Callie took a seat next to him.

It took about another twenty minutes before everyone Feral had requested be there had arrived and taken their seats. Without the need of a microphone, Feral spoke in a strong, loud voice.

He told them what he'd told the SWAT Kats some nights ago that a threat to their world was on its way. He explained what he was, how and why the Solarians had come to Aristal, why he was revealing who they were, describing their enemy the Skulkears and what this enemy had planned for Aristal once they arrived. He relayed what had occurred just six days ago, about a Skulkear scout ship arriving and another who had been responsible for shooting it down and who was helping them now with vital information on the enemy's progress to their solar system.

So far his speech was being met with varied expressions of anger, confusion, fear, and the most prevalent...disbelief. He could see they thought he'd lost his mind but he didn't stop talking as they needed to hear what he had to say. They would believe him soon enough.

The next bit of information he relayed was new to the SWAT Kats and made his squadron commanders sit forward on their chairs in stunned surprise.

"Because this enemy is huge and very powerful, we Solarians have kept our ships in good condition and continued inventing and building weaponry to destroy them. However, they are many and we're only about 5,000, and only 2,000 of us are warriors. Too small an army to defeat such a huge force arrayed against us so in we preparation for this eventual war, we slowly built up Aristal's defenses around the world, behind the scenes.

Here in Megakat City, that responsibility fell to me as Chief Enforcer. With the funds collected by my people, we had built up a massive array of new jets, tanks and weapons, stockpiling them in a secret location. I did my best to keep recruitment and training of new troops up to speed but the omegas made that fairly difficult over the past five years. With Dark Kat dead it should be a little easier to keep troops. Fortunately, this is one of our up periods in recruitment so we should have enough troops trained by the time they are needed.

We will be the first to contact the enemy in space before they get close but should some get past us, then my enforcers and the SWAT Kats will have to ensure none of those creatures land here on Aristal. We do have time...it will take months before the Skulkears arrive and I want to use that time to get us ready.

Another reason for having you here, is to demonstrate that I'm not crazy or talking science fiction here. This world has been invaded before so you really shouldn't be surprised that some have made it a home and that others might wish to steal it from you. So, I'm here to show you what we are capable of and request I be given total control of the population under martial law when the enemy is close, to order a complete evacuation of Megakat Katizens underground."

Feral paused only a moment, not wanting the rising ire, disbelief and anger to erupt and keep him from finishing.

"Pay attention. I will now demonstrate how powerful we are so you will believe we can defend our new home. I intend to destroy the entire town of Genriss. No one is in the buildings, I had my enforcers check. Now watch!"

Immediately, he turned away from them and stepped closer to the edge. Felina gestured Sgt Fallon to stay back and moved to stand just behind her uncle.

Feral was not wearing any of his gear nor his coat, they were on a chair nearby. He didn't want to fry his equipment. He paused a moment to take off his tie, shirt, and under shirt, handing them back to Felina who passed them to Fallon.

Mutters of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd that already thought he was utterly mad as they stared at his powerful back. What made them keep their mouths shut was the alarming sight of the SWAT Kats standing grim and silent, watching everything from one side of the platform. It was the fact the pair of vigilantes weren't objecting to anything Feral was saying that kept the crowd silent.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Feral raised both paws and pointed them outward toward the town. His body began to glow then got brighter and brighter before he deemed he'd generated enough power before shooting a bright ball of energy outward. It covered the town, made it glow too brightly to be seen then vanished silently. No trace of the town was left when they could see again.

The silence was now pregnant with horror, shock, and fear. No one knew what to say. Feral, meanwhile, staggered backward, then dropped to one knee, his glowing power extinguished instantly. Felina moved to his side quickly and had a soft, murmured conversation with him no one could hear.

The SWAT Kats had made a move to help Feral but a quick shake of the head from Felina stayed them. They waited like the silent crowd for Feral to recover.

Both of them had seen Feral use his power before but not on such a scale. If he was capable of that much destruction all on his own, imagine over a 100 of them using that much power. It made them feel marginally better about their chances in the coming war.

When he was able to stand once more, he turned to face the crowd. It was plainly obvious that the effort had exhausted Feral but he stood there stoicly and spoke again.

"Solarian bodies absorb energy from the sun. The more powerful the individual the more power they can generate." He gave them the barest hint of a smile. "I happen to be one of the most powerful of this generation. Now this demonstration is being conducted all around the world and though we live exclusively in Megakat City, we do travel around and have made ties to people everywhere. Using those ties we are asking them to do the same as we're asking you, evacuate the non-combatants underground and prepare their armies to defend this world.

We may be aliens, but this has been our home for over four centuries. We have mated with your kind so our genes are now mixed with yours. We may be different but we consider ourselves one of you and we intend to protect this world with you because we have no intention being pushed off another world ever again. Now I will answer questions."

For the next hour, Feral was bombarded with dozens of questions, many of them angry and demanding. He quietly answered all of them as completely as he could and kept his calm. His military officers, buttonholed Felina since it was obvious she too was a Solarian and asked her questions of a more miliary bent.

The SWAT Kats stayed back from the pack but listened closely as they needed to be aware of any problems that might occur in this huge endeavor. The conversations between Felina and the squadron commanders held more information than the one Feral was fielding so the pair moved closer and asked a few questions of their own, getting some hostile looks from a few of the officers.

Calico Briggs was still stunned and amazed by the display of strength Feral had demonstrated. The fact he was an alien hybrid was even more shocking. She stared at him as she asked a few questions of her own then stepped back and listened as he answered all those being shot at him.

He made an imposing image standing there bare chested, face calm, though she could plainly see he was very tired. She'd never seen him like this before and she was shocked to realize it made her a little hot. Shaking herself, she redirected her attention back to the discussion.

Reluctantly, Manx, with the backing of the council, agreed to give Feral the authority to institute martial law only when the enemy was within reach of their world no sooner. He didn't think they could keep their people below ground very long and Feral had agreed.

Feral also told them he would have enforcers begin to stockpiling emergency supplies in the areas designated as evacuation points and he would send a letter with the location of all the underground places he'd already determined would be safe places for the population to hide. Deep basements of apartment dwellings, business, and factories were not good hiding places as they could collapse onto the people below. Mountain caves, subway and railway tunnels were the only safe places. In a pinch underground vaults would work as well.

A plan would have to be drawn up and then Katizens trained to report to these evacuation points. Practice sessions would have to be done three times a month to ensure a smooth evacuation when the real thing occurred.

Callie could feel a headache coming on at the number of details that would have to be taken care of to institute this citywide exodus. She sighed and shook her head.

A voice murmured near her ear, "I know it's a lot of work, Ms. Briggs but I know no one that can do this efficiently and thoroughly than you."

She turned her head in surprise and saw Feral standing there behind her. To her surprise, she'd been so into her own thoughts, she hadn't been aware the platform was emptying and the mayor had already left as had the SWAT Kats. She was practically alone with the half naked Commander.

She blushed. "Oh, sorry, I hadn't realized I was that distracted."

"Understandable. You don't have to plan all of this alone you know. I could delegate Felina to give you a paw and answer any questions you might have. Might make things go easier and faster for you," he offered, mildly.

Callie stared at him in surprise. "Really? That's kind of you and a bit strange as well. You've never offered to help me before though this situation is serious and even more dangerous than our omega problem...still it is rather odd for you to do that," she said, a little taken aback and confused by his behavior.

Feral shrugged one powerful shoulder. "Actually, it isn't odd at all, that is how I usually behave. But as the Chief Enforcer I have to maintain a certain gruff personality to control my people and keep their respect. However, that isn't the real me...something you might want to consider now that you know what I am," he purred, turning away suddenly and walking to the edge of the platform then raising his arms to the now midday sun, closing his eyes.

She blinked in shocked surprise. Did he just flirt with me? Her face got hot as she stared at him in fascination. He didn't just stand there but began some strange slow movements that looked a little like yoga. She realized he must be doing this to recharge his energy. As she watched, she saw her guess was right as his body began to glow faintly after several long minutes then he lowered his arms.

When he turned his head to give her a brief stare, his normal eyes now were a glowing molten gold. It sent a shiver down her spine. His lips twitched in a small smile before he turned away to get redressed.

Shaken, she turned and left the platform hurriedly. What had passed between them was too odd and strange for her to deal with right now. And what did he mean she didn't know him at all? Guess she was going to find out since he was no longer hiding himself.

.


	11. Chapter 11

**THEY'RE HERE!**

**Chapter 11: Trying to Get a Plan Together**

The SWAT Kats left the platform but took up a waiting post at the bottom of the stairs, needing to speak with Feral before he left. They watched as the enforcer officers, who scowled at them in passing or were distracted and failed to notice them, filed past heading to their cars or choppers.

They were followed by the still arguing and upset members of the city council who never noticed the colorful pair at all, too busy haranguing the Mayor whose face looked like a thundercloud as the whole group swept by and headed across the field like a flock of crows harrying a mouse.

The two shook their heads at the sight.

"He is one unhappy camper," the tabby observed.

"He'll either get over it or find a place to hide," Razor snorted, derisively.

"Too true."

"He's going to get a headache from all that yammering in his ears but all their complaining won't change what needs to happen. The nerve of Councilor Brightfur insisting the Solarians handle the problem by themselves without involving Kat kind, saying it was their problem...I felt like smacking him on the back of the head."

"Shows how much he wasn't paying attention...either that or he's just too cowardly to face the danger head on," T-Bone grunted.

"Too many of them are just as cowardly and self-serving as Manx is. When this whole thing is over, I think its time we elect a new council," Razor snorted, disgust dripping from his voice. "Oh, here comes Callie."

The deputy mayor looked flustered and distracted, so neither male called to her as she hurried by without a glance their way.

"And there she goes...did she look a bit odd to you?" T-Bone asked his partner.

"Hmm...maybe seeing a near naked Feral had something to do with it," the slim tom snickered.

His partner chuckled softly and remarked, "don't tell me you didn't think he looked rather hot without his shirt?"

Razor blushed then punched his partner in the arm. "Keep your salacious thoughts to yourself, pal," he snorted.

"Hey...I thought he was..." T-Bone started to say, laughing at his friend's discomfort, before straightening when he saw Feral appear at the top of the landing and start down the stairs toward them. Lt. Feral and Sgt Fallon were close on his heels and paused two steps from the ground when the Commander suddenly halted to raise a questioning eyebrow at the pair waiting.

"We have something we need to discuss and since things are going to be hectic for awhile what with the city council and the Mayor up in arms about what has to be done, so another opportunity won't occur and this does need to be addressed immediately," Razor said, in a rather more stuffy manner than was his usual form of speech.

Feral noted that and frowned. "It's that important?"

"Yes!" T-Bone concurred, forcefully.

"Alright...Felina...Sergeant...wait for me at the chopper," Feral ordered the pair behind him. Nodding the two walked off. The she-kat gave the SWAT Kats a flash of a smile as she passed by them and walked off.

When they were out of earshot, only then did Razor lay out their problem. "For us to be prepared for the upcoming battle, I have to upgrade our systems and weapons. Because we have to work in the garage to make enough to pay our debt and fight omegas, I'm not left with enough free time to do that. Add in all the times you may need us for various missions and halting criminal activity, you can see what our problem is. If you want our full attention then we need that debt to go away."

Feral blinked in surprise. This wasn't even remotely what he thought they wanted to talk about but as he ruminated on it, he well understand their dilemma. "It was never my intention to saddle you with that debt in the first place. When I objected, I was over ruled by my own superiors and the Mayor. To my mind, it was ridiculously unreasonable," he said sincerely. "Let me speak to the clan accountants and see what we can do about fixing that injustice. I'm sorry I couldn't get rid of it before now but with all this going on, no one will take notice the bill is quietly paid by an 'interested party'. But please be patient, it might take a week or more for me to get it done, alright?"

Surprised relief flashed across the two warriors faces. "More than alright. I honestly didn't expect you to do that much but we're certainly pleased and happy you're willing to try. That will be a great weight off our shoulders, believe me. I hope you're successful but even if you can't expunge the whole debt, what you can do will be appreciated and give us some relief," Razor said, humbly.

"I'll know for certain in a few days and let you know what they decide, then, hopefully, they can get it done fairly quickly."

Razor nodded. He hoped the Solarians could help them...it was a very substantial debt and he had no idea how well off the Ferals were.

"Is that all you needed to speak to me about?" Feral asked.

"Yes, thank you. By the way, that was one hell of a demonstration you put on. It gave me a little more hope that we just might actually win this war," the smaller SWAT Kat said.

Feral gave a small smile. "One can hope so. Later."

The two nodded and allowed Feral to leave then ran toward their own jet so they could get home.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When the three returned to Feral's office, he sent Fallon off on an errand for him, while Felina stayed behind and insured the door was closed before heading back to his pedestal desk.

"So, Uncle...Ms. Briggs looked rather flustered after speaking with you. And I couldn't fail to notice how red her face got when she beheld your unveiled chest," she murmured, leaning close to his ear, the sound of a smirk easily heard in her voice.

Feral arched an eyebrow at her. "Really? I hadn't noticed," he said innocently as he pulled a stack of reports before him and began to go through them.

Felina snorted and straightened up to stare down at him askance. "Oh please, she nearly had her tongue hanging out. If that was your intention, it succeeded."

"I certainly hope so," he murmured, a faint smile on his face.

Felina blinked a moment in confusion then a broad smile crossed her face. "Alriiiight, Uncle! You finally found your mate...that's awesome...but now you have to catch her and that won't be easy as she doesn't see you quite that way...although... maybe she does now..." her voice drifted off as she replayed the scene on top of the makeshift platform. She smirked as she glanced at her uncle who only gave her a small knowing smile. She grinned in delight. He deserved to be mated. He'd work so hard to keep them battle ready and doing it all alone.

Savoring the good news a moment longer, she sighed then pushed it aside for more serious matters.

"So, I thought the demonstration was a success despite the whining of the more cowardly of the council. The only problems I foresee is the practice evacuations. Though the Katizens are used to doing the 'duck and cover' thing when the omegas attack, this is something far more complex and dangerous. If any of them take it into their heads to rebel or panic, what should have been a simple drill could turn into a nightmare mess. This is going to take careful planning and really good PR work," she commented grimly.

Feral looked up from his work and gave her his full attention. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Yes, I know. Though its important to get this begun soon, I know we're going to need at least a month to beef up our forces and for the council to update their evac plans based on our recommendations. I want you to get busy preparing the designated sites ASAP and insure the council has the lists of everything we stock there as well as their locations. Gather a team to help you handle all aspects of this: the supply lists, the stocking of food and medical supplies, maps of the most direct routes to those sites, and what parts of the city must go to what evac point."

Felina took notes of his orders, nodding her head as she did so. "As we're doing this, should we also get med and child care sections set up and find people to man them?" She asked, studying her list of orders.

Feral nodded. "Yes, thank you. Anything else you feel should be added go ahead and do. Just insure everything you do is put in a report that goes to me, the city council, and Ms. Briggs. And speaking of the deputy mayor, she may ask for your assistance in putting together this new plan so be open for her call and do all you can to aid her."

"Yes sir, got it. Anything else?"

Her uncle snorted and smiled, "don't you think that's enough already?"

"Oh definitely. I foresee lots of overtime here but I'll get it done, Uncle," Felina said, smiling slightly as she tucked her notebook away.

"So do I, unfortunately, and I know you'll get it done, Felina. Just be sure to have a large enough team so you don't push the kats too far into the tired zone. Don't forget, we can work longer and harder than they can."

Felina sighed. "Yes Uncle, of that I'm only too aware. Oh, are we getting outside assistance with this as well?"

"I need an update on the current numbers as I know we've had a great many additions to the ranks recently. Based on that number, I'll know how many more we need to draw from the clan."

"Right. I'll get on that first...later, Uncle," she said, turning on her heel and leaving his office at a brisk stride.

"And so it begins," he sighed aloud before turning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Callie groaned and rubbed her eyes with both paws. She'd been working late every night for the past week since Feral's incredible announcement and demonstration.

Even though the city council and the Mayor still balked a bit about the expense and need for a revision of the city's evacuation plan and the actual practice evacs themselves, none dared to actually refuse to do it outright. However, that didn't stop them from continually nit-picking over every little minutiae in the proposed plan that had Callie wanting to pull her long tresses out by the roots.

It took all her diplomatic skills to keep things from bogging down with all the arguing. She was at the point where she simply wanted to bash the head in of some of the more argumentative of the council.

Even after a week of fighting, working long hours, making change after change, the council still was deadlock by Friday on a comprehensive evacuation plan. Even with all the excellent input of information from Lt. Feral, the council just couldn't seem to get their act together.

She sighed and decided working any longer would be unproductive when she was this tired so locked away the more sensitive documents on her desk, plopped yet another rewrite of the plan into her long suffering secretary's basket, grabbed her purse from her desk drawer and locked up.

Her high heels were the only thing making any noise as she walked to the elevator and pushed the button for the lobby. She yawned widely and rolled her shoulders to ease their tension on the trip down.

A stray thought made her blush as she thought about a certain pair of very strong paws giving her a massage and doing certain other things to help her relax.

She didn't know why it was, but ever since Feral had flirted with her up there on the platform, she couldn't stop thinking about him in a very unprofessional way. Some of her dreams had been extremely x-rated of late and all featured the hybrid Kat in her bed doing wonderful things to her.

"Crud! What's with me? I've never looked twice at that tom and now I can't stop thinking about him," she snorted, aloud. Maybe because he never looked at you that way before, her inner sub-conscious chimed in. She sighed, that was certainly true but she'd be darn if she knew what, if anything, she should do about it.

Shoving the uncomfortable thoughts aside, she stepped from the elevator when the doors drew open and headed out the lobby doors to her car. She had enough on her plate without allowing a sudden desire for the Chief Enforcer to distract her now.


End file.
